In You
by onpenandpaper
Summary: The war was won, but choices have to be made and things need to be done. What was to be of Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke as they move forward and rebuild their lives? Post war, cannonverse
1. In good hands

"Please…. let me be the one for him this time."

There wasn't at all much to explain. She regarded the kunoichi who stood before her, eyes pleading with her hands a tight fist to her chest. Something had changed.

"I know I'm not a medic-nin but I can take care of him, Sakura-san! I want to take care of him, I nee-"

"It's alright, Hinata. I have no doubt you can."

Without another word, Sakura turned and went the other direction, carefully dodging a couple of med-nins carrying supplies. She had been on her way to the tent where Naruto was brought by Sasuke and Kakashi, when she was stopped mid-sprint by the Hyuga heiress.

Hinata was carrying a roll of bandages and a makeshift first-aid kit; probably the ones that could have only been made with whatever was still available. Her hold was tight, almost fearful that someone might snatch away the precious bandages. There was fear in her eyes, but none was heard when she spoke.

Tsunade was sure to have been in the same tent as Naruto; no doubt already administering whatever jutsu necessary to revive her whiskered friend. He was in good hands. Hinata would be there now too. He was in good hands.


	2. Aftermath

"No sudden movements, no unnecessary force, basically anything you can think of that will exert energy, you can't do. At least for a couple of days, you will do minimal activity. Stay in bed, for all I care, but if I so much as see you do anything I don't classify as resting, you're-"

"Relax, Baa-chan!" Naruto smiled in his seat as he stretched his arms up, testing his reach. He winced at the sharp pain from the burns on his hands and arms where he had tried to hang on to one of Kurama's tails. The fox did not wish to leave him despite the power and control that Madara had promised; and for that Naruto was thankful. Madara's attempt to extract the biju was unsuccesful, and thanks to Sasuke's intervention, Naruto got the chance he needed to create a surprise attack that became the cause of Madara's defeat.

The force of his strongest Rasenshuriken threw him some distance away from the middle of the battlefield. Barely awake, the roar of triumph from the hundreds of shinobi had reached his ears before he finally collapsed in exhaustion.

"I'll have Sakura take care of those for you," Tsunade pointed at the state of his arms. The sound of Sakura's name brought a smile to his lips. Inside the tent, the cold wind blew through the flap from which Tsunade had passed, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He did not know how long he had been unconscious. His father had said good bye, he remembered that clearly. He thought he heard worried cries and happy shouts, a little bit of bickering of some sort - or was that complaining - he wasn't so sure. There was a firm hold on him, a cry to his ear; He also remembered softness, and a familiar scent that enveloped him. For the first time ever since the war began he felt… secure. Except he couldn't seem to figure out if it was all just a dream.

"Naruto-kun…"

Hinata stood near the bed where he was seated, much to Naruto's surprise.

"I… thought Sasuke-kun and Kakashi sensei were here too?" Her voice shook, and he felt almost guilty seeing her eyes glisten beneath the light.

"Ah… no worries, Hinata. Baa-chan kicked them out because someone needed to take care of their injuries too! You should see the look on her face, it was really funny, like she was ready to pound them to dus-"

His sentence was muffled by her long, black hair that was suddenly all over the side of his face. He wasn't even aware that she had approached to embrace, arms tightening around his limp form.

"I'm so glad you're alright, Naruto-kun…" she sobbed, burying her head on the crook of his shoulder. He could feel the heat of her tears wet his skin.

"Thank you, Hinata. Please don't cry, look," he put his arms on her shoulder and leaned backwards. "I'm great! I could skip outta here in no time, y'know?" He chuckled at the thought; pretty sure that the only skipping he would ever manage is if by some miracle there would be a small ramen stand somewhere near the tents, preferably Ichiraku's. Flashing his most winning smile as he wiped the tears on her face, his eyes had now taken a special interest in the first aid kit on the ground.

Hinata smiled and hugged him again, then suddenly remembered what she was supposed to do. She reluctantly pulled away to pick up the kit.

"I told Tsunade-sama that I'm going to take care of you tonight," her hands reached for his arm and began rolling up the sleeve of his jacket.

"Oh. I uh… where's Sakura chan?" His jacket was worn and tattered, the sleeves now bunching up uncomfortably at an unattended wound. Sakura would have taken it off altogether, including his shirt, in order to check everything.

"I… I think she's busy right now. There's only a few medics outside. So many wounded…"

Naruto felt a sharp pang of guilt at the words. Sakura was obviously needed out there, yet here he was already recovering and still wanting her for himself.

"But I'm sure she'll be able to heal as much as she can," Hinata smiled, hands shaking as she wrapped the bandage around his forearm, winding it once or twice in the wrong direction.

Naruto nodded, locking his gaze on the flap of the tent, half wishing, against his better judgment, that Sakura would pass through even if by accident.


	3. Healer:Healing

"He has this REALLY big wound on his upper arm, and I think he's limping a little… He said it's nothing but I don't believe him at all! Please…"

"Sure, Karin. Where is he?"

"Really? Thank you so much!" Karin's voice echoed loudly and for a moment Sakura thought she was going to throw her arms around her. Instead she had retreated and resolved to giving her an awkward pat on the shoulder before leading her outside. It had been just fifteen minutes since she spoke to Hinata when Karin had come barging into the tent where Sakura was; running from one end to the other, healing three, four people at a time. Worry etched the red head's features, and as easy it was to read Hinata's request, Sakura already knew what was wanted of her. In her mind she calculated that she had been awake for roughly 36 hours, and was certain she was supposed to be hungry, or weak. Rather, her eyes were wide open; her feet shifted to a light jog, grabbing bottles of antiseptics and rolls of bandage as she went.

* * *

The Uchiha lay back on the mattress with his feet dangling on the edge, kicking the ground when he could reach with every sway of his leg. His eyes locked above him with a view of the deep blue sky and stars. The moon had cast a sleepy glow over the rows and rows of injured men who received minor treatment and did not need a bed for an extended amount of time. He wished there was a better sight, but there was none. It was probably worse inside the main tent. The war was over and his body felt spent; there was a nagging pain on his left leg, an annoying sting on his upper arm. Why hadn't he felt those things earlier? She disappeared after she had tended to some of his wounds, and said she'd be back. He could only grunt in reply. _Whatever you say_. Now that he was alone he couldn't help but notice how her absence suddenly made him heavy and weak; made him… feel.

His eyes were shut when he heard the shuffling of feet on the ground near him. If it was an enemy who had come in Sasuke couldn't have cared less. Sleep would be welcome right now, even if it was the kind he would never wake up from. A faint smile lit up his handsome face - clearly there was something wrong with him. He kept his eyes shut, but could not help notice how almost immediately Karin's breathing reached his ears as if amplified. So much for peace and quiet.

"Sasuke-kun,"

Light streamed through his pupils as he jerked his head up to the source of the sound. He shot a quick glance at Karin, who looked back apologetically, heart beating a tenth faster. He was still trying to figure out his level of annoyance - but why was he hearing her heart? Wait, how did he know it was hers? His finger instinctively touched the pulse point at his wrist. He was definitely not hearing his own; this… this was someone else's. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, confused at the discovery. He looked at her again; she seemed to be saying something now, and instead of listening to her his distraction at the steadying beat was taking up his full attention.

"Sasuke-kun?"

It was only then that he finally laid eyes on the pink haired kunoichi. She looked worried, or tired, he couldn't figure out what. He blinked twice before finally hearing something other than that heart beat.

"- came to ask for my help. May I take a look?"

_Like I could decline right now._ He nodded and sat up with the help of Karin supporting his back. He could hear the heart beat stronger again, now he was annoyed.

"Stop that," he whispered, but not soft enough that Sakura heard.

"Stop what?"

"You're heart! Stop doing that!"

"What? What heart?"

Sakura couldn't help but feel a little out of place at the exchange. She didn't think that Sasuke intended for her to hear anything, she thought Karin was the same, nevertheless their voices were slowly rising and even though it didn't seem harmful to anyone, time wasn't something she wanted to waste right now. She cleared her throat loud enough to snap them out of their bickering.

"Sorry, I just have a lot to do and I-"

"No, we're sorry," replied Karin, blush creeping to her face.

Sakura immediately went to work on Sasuke's leg, touching a few points here and there. Karin's nudge on his elbow, apparently upset at having been the only one to apologize, and this did not pass her attention. He didn't seem so affected, however, but much to her surprise, she felt a bit better.

"This hurts, right?" Sakura gave a firm press on the side of his left leg. The Uchiha nodded, flinching slightly. Her palms lit with the green of her chakra and went to work in silence, simultaneously scanning the rest of his body.

"So how's Naruto?" Sasuke inquired, surprised he managed to formulate a good question with that annoying beating in his ears.

The sound of his name had snuffed out the chakra she was using on him. It took a couple of seconds for her objective, med-nin persona to snap herself out of distraction and wield the chakra back to her fingertips. After an awkward silence, she cleared her throat and voiced out her own curiosity.

"I-I thought you were with him? Didn't I leave you and Kakashi sensei together?" Her eyebrows furrowed in forced concentration; her inner self screaming for her to pretend this information was not a big deal. She was now, in fact, very worried. As it was, neither of them knew how Naruto was doing; and she certainly hadn't seen her Master in the main tent. Did that mean she was still working on him?

* * *

In the battlefield her eyes had been quick to recover moments after Naruto had delivered his final blow. She had seen where his body had been thrown by the impact and was the first to rush to his aid. From a distance she saw him crawling on the ground, arms shaking and bloody; she had never run so fast in her life. He collapsed and so did her heart, cold sweat ran over her form in a sudden rush of fear.

_No. Please, no._

She had little memory of what exactly happened after; only that it took a while before anyone could convince her to let him go. He was cradled protectively in her arms, tears streaming from her face to his seemingly sleeping form. She wanted to shake him, to wake him up and to punch the living daylights out of him.

_You're so reckless. Baka._

He still wasn't conscious when she left him; she couldn't tell the extent of his injuries just by staring at him, not to mention she had been too… emotional.

* * *

The memory of his face was already threatening to bring tears to her eyes. She cleared her throat again, remembering that Sasuke owed her an answer. It was her first priority to keep her emotions in check.

"She made us leave because we had injuries ourselves. I thought you were going to be called to heal him."

_I thought so too._

As if to make sure she wasn't voicing her thoughts, Sakura shifted her gaze to Karin, who in turn was watching Sasuke closely. Karin had seen and known more of Sasuke than she ever will; perhaps even Naruto, were it not for the deeper understanding that the two shared. Now it seemed she had no place to stand; be it with Sasuke or, after the events of late, Naruto.

At her advice, Karin had left to get some water and painkillers. The awkward air wasn't exactly welcome, but she was thankful that his arm was an easier task, requiring less chakra than his leg. She worked silently despite the noise of her thoughts. Her only hope was that he was oblivious to her troubles, or if he knew would just pretend not to see.

"Ok, done. Once Karin gets back take two painkillers and rest here for a bit. Your leg isn't fully healed so don't try to do anything strenuous, just find a nice place to rest. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any more people needing these beds outside so perhaps you can stay here - I'm sorry there's no room inside but it's not raining and the… the sky is beautiful I think it will help you sleep. And… don't put pressure on your arm, no chidori, no sharingan, no jutsu, eat some food, drink plenty of liquids, get plenty of sleep, oh, what else… Well the bandage needs to be changed so I'll just pop out here for that just… just… uhm…"

She was looking at the ground and wasn't very sure how much sense she made; clutching what was left of the bandages to her side, fingers steadily going white. What was she supposed to say now that didn't require a flood of tears? It had only been hours after the battle was won… there hadn't really been a moment to stop and think about everything.

He lifted his hand and gently rubbed her arm, snapping her from her thoughts. His gaze met hers; his eyes dark and weary. A faint smile appeared on his lips, only to disappear just moments after. She had to accept that she no longer knew him; that she was only just an acquaintance now. Yet no matter what she was to him, or what she wasn't, he came back. He had fought for Konoha. He had won for Konoha. He saved Naruto more than anyone ever could.

"Thank you,"

They had both said it at the same time and were equally surprised. Jade eyes met pitch-black; and finally, finally… a real smile.

"Thank you for healing me."

"Thanks for coming back, Sasuke."

"GOT IT! Here's the - Naruto sama!"

Karin had come from main tent carrying a bottle of water and the painkillers. Naruto had come from his own tent to walk around outside. He thought Sasuke was sitting alone; apparently he was just blocking Sakura from his view. Now he felt like he had just barged in on some private moment, seeing the way Sasuke had caressed her arm; or her smile… there it was again. The thing he loved to see the most was not intended for him.

Shocked, Sakura found herself staring at him in disbelief. Was this a dream? Her heart raced as he limped closer, his eyes locked on her.

"Sakura! I need you here now! And you, get back to your tent!"

Tsunade's voice tore their eyes from each other; Sakura being the first to react. She had picked up the bandage she didn't know she dropped, and started off to the tent, trying - and failing not to take one last glance at Naruto's frame. His arm looked a bit stiff, the bandages were uneven - there was some skin sticking out, he was limping… did he have a wound in his leg that hadn't been dressed?

"SAKURA!"

"H-hai!"

It was enough to spur her to motion, finally tearing her eyes away. She couldn't bear to regard him, or to look in his eyes, nor could she deny that sinking feeling of leaving him when it seemed he needed her care. Hinata's voice echoed in the wind, reminding Sakura once more that it wasn't her responsibility anymore.


	4. Turn of events

[A/N] I'm speeding this up a little because I don't want to know things that might affect my story. It's such a lame excuse because duh, my work is my work and Kishi's his. But because it's a free world I'll state that as my excuse thanks very much :D I've had this thought of since three weeks ago but for some reason writing it down has become a challenge in itself. Not cool at all. *digs own grave*

In any case thank you to those who have read/followed/favorited/reviewed. (*≧▽≦)

Though I haven't said it in the first chapters, of course, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto's heart sank as he watched her disappear into the tent. Had she just looked straight past him as if he wasn't there? Sure, they had stared at each other, but was that it? No hi's or hello's? He looked very injured indeed, certainly his final blow was of too-reckless proportions; wasn't he going to be punched for that? If possible, his heart sank lower at the thought of what he had seen before he came in the picture. But of course. Sasuke looks fine. What else was supposed to matter? For all he knew he wasn't injured in his chest. It hurt anyway.

"Naruto-kun! Naruto-kun! You're not supposed to be walking around... Tsunade sama asked you to rest, right?"

The steady heart beat was still ringing in his ears as Sasuke downed his second glass of water. He had been observing Naruto from the corner of his eye, secretly curious at the state of his healing. Hinata had just come running out of nowhere, and immediately he knew found an answer for Naruto's lopsided bandages. Feeling a bit smug as he eyed Karin through the transparent glass, he was still unforgiving of her stupid heart beat that just wouldn't go away. If only it wasn't so... cheesy. There was no way on earth Karin would take it likely if he ever explained what he was hearing, not to mention he was way too tired to deal with her drooling at his feet. Fact is, he hadn't even confirmed it was her. He just knew.

"Ahh... I'm alright, Hinata. I was just... I was just checking on Sasuke," Flashing a fake grin, he managed to lift his feet up to walk toward his old time friend.

"Thirsty, dobe?" He offered Naruto his empty glass of water, gesturing at Karin to fill it up. She lifted the bottle but only filled a fourth of the glass, glancing apologetically at Naruto.

"You know Karin, right? Why don't you both go and get some water? I could down ten bottles right now and I'm not even joking," he said, casting his glance on Hinata. Not that he cared any less, but he assumed that she would have wrapped her arms around Naruto were it not for his injuries. He neither asked politely nor regarded it as a request, but the two went immediately after he spoke.

Sasuke leaned back on the mattress and studied his old friend. "Nice bandages, dobe. A plus for effort."

"That's mean, teme," was Naruto's reply, sitting himself next to the Uchiha. Sasuke noticed how he tried not to flinch at the slight pressure he exerted on his arm whilst taking a seat.

"I was giving a compliment, asshole."

"You and I both know you weren't," Naruto smiled for the first time that evening.

"Maybe so. Shouldn't you have Sakura check that for you?" he nudged forcefully on his still injured arm, causing the jinchuriki to cry out in pain.

"What the hell, man?" He lashed out by punching the Uchiha's bandaged leg. Much to his dismay, he was met with a smirk and a silent, unimpressed grunt. He sighed, feeling drained all of a sudden. "As you can see she's quite busy."

Naruto directed his attention to the rows of the injured that surrounded them. From what he observed, there was a minimum of five patients to one medic nin; and that was the state outside the main tent. Inside the main tent, he did not know; nor did he believe he had the heart to see for himself. He could only hope that there would be no more deaths tonight.

"Perhaps. Probably the reason why she came out here for me,"

"Well, you are the Uchiha. You're quite special."

"You think so? Because I remember vividly being very injured after that stupid rasenshuriken of yours; but it wasn't me she went dashing off to."

Naruto blinked twice; not sure he understood completely what he had just heard. He glanced sideways to see Sasuke step off the bed and approach Karin. She was carrying ten bottles of water.

Sasuke took a bottle from her arms and opened it. He then lifted it to her lips, much to her surprise. Once again the beating in his ears grew louder, faster. Annoyed, he pushed the bottle to her lips, "Just drink, Karin. I'm not gonna hold the bottle forever and I want to drink too."

Hinata had come soon after, carrying three bottles of water what looked like another first aid kit.

"Uh... Tsunade saw me and... and she told me to escort you back to your tent and if she comes to your tent and doesn't see you there she... she said that she will personally bury you deeper than the crater that was created by your rasenshuriken," she said it all slowly and in one breath, causing a small chuckle to escape from Naruto's lips. Her eyes lit up and he was unsure if it was just the light of the moon or she looked about to cry; either way he pushed himself off the bed and gave Sasuke and Karin a small nod before dragging his feet back to his own tent.

* * *

An emergency meeting was held just hours after the declaration of the end of the war. It was attended by the Leaders of the Allied Forces, with the exception of Tsunade. She had, after healing him, appointed Hatake Kakashi to represent her, and had given instructions as she already had a good idea what matter was to be discussed.

* * *

"So we have reached an agreement. The decision is no longer in our hands, perhaps we can attend to more important matters like gathering and healing our wounded?"

For the first time, Gaara dreaded this part of his responsibility as Kage. Yes, politics were important, and to some extent he understood the urgency of the matter. However, like Tsunade, his priority was his people. When no one answered, he stood from the table and left the tent, noticing the lone figure of Kakashi who had followed him.

"You looked a bit impatient there, Gaara."

"I was. I wish we could have talked about that some other time. The war had just ended. It might not even be the right time to make decisions."

"I can't disagree. I'd hate to be in his shoes right now. Are you heading for the medic's tents?"

"Yes. I'd also like to speak to Naruto," rubbing his temples, Gaara took a deep breath and straightened his back. "This isn't some private conversation. In fact I'd like your own Hokage to be present."

"I'm sure that can be arranged."


	5. Seen and Heard

Two pairs of hands laden with green chakra roamed the surface of a man's bloody chest. He was found half-conscious, buried underneath a large boulder and, according to the shinobi that were scouting the battlefield, was the last one with major injuries. This news wasn't as relieving as Tsunade had thought. Fact was, the medic nin numbers were dwindling due to chakra exhaustion, as if it wasn't bad enough that they were very few in the first place. She was experiencing weakness herself, as she currently needed her apprentice to perform an otherwise solo operation.

When the procedure was over, Tsunade gave instructions to divide the whole medic team into groups so as to give them time to recuperate. Inside the main tent, all of the shinobi had been attended to, though there were still a number of injured that needed to be constantly monitored. Outside was a bit more busy, but thankfully the tasks didn't require med-nins at their full strength. She would assign the majority of the medic team outside, hopefully to have all the work finished before sunrise.

Tsunade looked on, observing the hustle of med-nins and other shinobi, trying to find familiar faces among the small crowd. She remembered seeing Shikamaru's team, along with Kiba and Shino, helping collect the dead. Meanwhile, Gai and Rock Lee were leading a team in the search for survivors. Yamato and Kurenai were injured, Sai was included in a team of ANBU protecting the medic tents, Kakashi was sure to be on his way back from the meeting, others, she had not seen and did not know how they were doing. She could only hope they were alright.

Sure enough, she saw Kakashi walking towards her, brow creased and laden with worry, from what she could deduce with just that one eye. He was followed by Gaara, looking a little forlorn himself. Her instincts had served her well at a time she wished it didn't.

"You were right," Kakashi stated, his lone form of greeting.

"I would rather ask you about how all this was doing," the Kazekage regarded her with a subtle nod after casting a worried glance over the injured.

"I know. Follow me."

* * *

The light was slowly getting dim, burning away inside the small kerosene lamp beside Naruto's bed. He was beyond exhausted, but sleep never came. In the corner of his eye, Hinata's head bobbed every five minutes and he felt bad; she needed the bed more. He reached and tapped her shoulder, biting his lower lip at the pain that shot through his arm.

"Hinata… Hinata,"

"Huh… What?" The kunoichi's eyes shot open. "Oh… I must've fallen asleep. Sorry Naruto-kun. Would you like some food? I can try to get some for you."

"No… I'm not hungry Hinata. Look, maybe we can switch places? I think you need to sleep,"

A blush creeped over Hinata's face as her fingers automatically pressed together, finding their usual place at the front of her chest.

"There's no need, Naruto-kun… I'm-"

Tsunade suddenly entered the tent, followed by Gaara and Kakashi.

"Oh good. You're awake. We're moving you to the next tent. Kakashi, please help-"

"I can walk on my own, Baa-chan,"

"I told you you're not supposed to be exerting effort. And don't even get me started at seeing you very much awake when I expressly told you to rest. Hinata, I'm sorry but you'll have to stay here. You may take that bed, get some rest," Tsunade's voice was stern; and though Naruto's stubborn nature would otherwise shrug it off and push her temper, he was far too exhausted.

The other tent was a much larger one, with room for five beds, one of which lay Uchiha Sasuke. He had found it empty a couple of hours ago, right after he strayed into the woods to take a piss after nine and a half bottles of watter. The bed he lay in was surprisingly softer than the others, though he had to make Karin leave because he couldn't sleep what with her heart beating around his ears. He was half asleep when Tsunade's party had entered, and immediately got up at the sight of his former sensei carrying Naruto on his back.

"I'll have to ask you to leave, Sasuke. There's another tent to your left-"

"What are we doing here anyway, Baa-chan? Sasuke can stay." Kakashi had deposited Naruto on the nearest bed before stepping back beside Gaara. Sasuke said nothing, he wasn't even curious. He wanted to go back to sleep.

"We are to discuss something very important that I'd like to keep among ourselves."

"Sasuke is staying. That, or we're not talking."

Naruto was very much aware that despite the fact that the war would not have been won were it not for Sasuke's help, the rest of the population, his friends and allies included, had not warmed up to the Uchiha. Since waking up, Naruto had made it his personal mission to change that. He eyed Sasuke from the other end of the room, ignoring Gaara's disapproved look.

Tsunade heaved a sigh, finally admitting defeat. She eyed Kakashi while walking around the side of the bed to block Naruto's view of Sasuke.

"Fine. Moving on, Naruto, the Kages had an emergency meeting today. I sent Kakashi in my stead, for obvious reasons. He and Gaara are here to tell us what happened."

Kakashi nodded, crossing his arms as he found something solid to lean on.

"As your representative at the meeting, it is now my responsibility to relay the Kage's decision as to the fate of the Biju now that the war is over."

Tension immediately filled the room, even Sasuke stiffened as he lay. Kakashi cleared his throat and continued, "They, and when I say they I mean not Gaara and I, believe it is best to gather the tailed beasts and immediately search for their new hosts. As we all know, you are the only remaining Jinchuriki, the other nations are not so comfortable at the imbalance of power since technically and by treaty, they do own the rights to the tailed beasts."

Naruto clutched his fists at the sheets. _Rights? What rights?_

"They're not things. They live, they breathe, they know how to feel!" Naruto could feel his arms sting while trying to keep his voice steady. "So many have died and hundreds wounded, and they want to talk about this?"

"I understand your frustration, Naruto. I've fought with the Biju and like you I know their sentiments. Unfortunately-"

"Why did you even come to talk to them? While you were all having a chit chat about the Biju people were DYING! You both shouldn't have participated in that meeting in the first place!" Naruto spat, his voice rising.

* * *

Upon hearing Naruto, Sakura's hand retreated from the flap of the tent she was about to enter. She had been scouring for empty tents, looking for a place to sleep. Her heart hammered in her chest, curiosity taking over after hearing someone else's voice.

"That's enough, Naruto. You're out of line! Might I remind you that there is more to the title of Kage, so if you want to be one I suggest you shut your mouth and let them talk."

A strained silence followed as Sakura contemplated whether to stay or mind her own business. This was about Naruto. She technically had nothing to do with it…

* * *

"Continue, Kakashi."

"That was just one option. The other option,"

The short pause had Sakura break out in cold sweat. As to why, she coudn't understand.

"was to have them all sealed inside of you. This idea, whoever even thought of it, surprisingly did not meet a lot of objections. It seems that, after you have led the Allied Forces to victory, they were willing to fully trust in you."

"To which, both Kakashi and I have plenty of doubts about."

"I think you all know I do too."

"Baa-chan, I don't understand - "

"Let Kakashi and Gaara finish, Naruto."

"What was agreed, is that the Kages will give you time to choose, and will respect the decision you make."

"That's some consolation for the man who had won the war for them, don't you think? I just knew this would happen. How much time are we talking about?"

"They're giving him twenty four hours. The other Kages don't want to risk having the bijus escape or do things on their own. This was all voted upon. Kakashi and I seemed to be on the side unfavored."

On the other side of the tent, Sakura's eyes glistened with tears as she fisted her hands to her chest. _This is not fair!_

* * *

"They're asking me to choose, but if that's the way they're treating the biju now what else should we expect the treatment of their jinchuriki? I'm not going to place that big of a burden to anyone at all!" Naruto protested, staring at a blank spot on his blankets.

"You're not going to choose the jinchuriki, Naruto, the villages will," Gaara replied.

"My opting for someone else to have this fate is just as good as choosing them myself."

"So what you're saying is that you'd rather be the jinchuriki of all the tailed beasts? Naruto, isn't that indirectly mocking your parent's sacrifice? They were the ones who chose to seal the fox in you." Kakashi inquired, meeting Naruto's gaze.

"Not everyone will grow up to be like Naruto, Kakashi. There is no sacrifice or act of love to be done here, nothing of the kind that Minato and Kushina have done. Though I have no doubt of Naruto's capacity to care for others, this is different. This is just a choice to be made by a young man." Tsunade sighed. She suddenly wished she had allowed him to rest first. Judging by the look on his face, and the sorrow in his eyes, Naruto wasn't going to be getting much sleep anymore.

"Listen, Naruto. It was disgraceful to have the Kages pass a burden that was essentially their responsibility and their choice to make as leaders of the Great Nations. I came here to tell you as a friend. There had never existed a jinchuriki of all nine beasts. No one even knows if it can be done."

"The Biju came from just one source, Gaara. If it was possible to split them then it's possible they can be one."

"You're missing the point, Naruto."

* * *

Sasuke's voice rang through her ears, causing a gasp to escape her lips. How long had he been in there? Or had he been there from the beginning? She wished she could deny the sharp pang in her chest. All but her was present from Team 7.

* * *

"Even if it were possible to seal all the beasts in you, who's to say that's what someone wants to happen in the first place?" Sasuke stood at the foot of the bed, staring at him as if they were the only ones in the tent.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"To seal all the beasts in you could either mean too much power for just one man. Maybe the Kages right now are fine with that, but this idea might not sit well with other people,"

"The Hokage is right, Naruto. You don't put your all your eggs in one basket." Kakashi regarded the presence of his old pupil with a slight nod to his direction.

"You also know that the Biju do not behave the same. You yourself have lost control over Kurama once, hurting Sakura in the process. We don't even know what form you will take if any of them try to take you, more so if they do it all at once!"

"I'm not choosing the other option, Gaara." Naruto said firmly.

"You realize that makes you more vulnerable than you will ever be? Someone can just kill you when you sleep and that's it. No more tailed beasts."

Sasuke's words struck a chord at their little group, and the pained look at Naruto's face told Tsunade it was time to end the discussion.

"Naruto, as much as I disagree with both options, it has been decided and unfortunately the choice is yours to make. I suggest you sleep on it, you still need to rest. You can think about all of this when you wake up. I don't want you rushing on things."

Naruto could only nod in reply, his exhaustion increasing tenfold.

She then turned to Gaara. "I believe I have a report for you. Shizune has been documenting the casualty count, including survivors. Her tent is the third to the left of the main tent. I need to get back to work."

* * *

Tsunade almost knocked over Sakura in a haste to leave the tent. Her subordinate had, just moments before, stepped back and walked as if she was merely passing by; a bluff seen through, clear as day, by her Master.

"After just having seen Naruto's state in the tent back there, I don't ever remember not telling you, even before we had him move to his own tent, to deal with the rest of his wounds. Unless you want to embarrass me by telling me those bandages were done by you," her voice was ice cold; eyes glaring at the young kunoichi.

"Hi… Hinata volunteered-"

"Can I volunteer to move to another country and leave all my responsibilities to you? I _know_ she volunteered, she herself approached and told me that she would take care of Naruto. Now which part of what I taught **_allowed_** you to let your feelings color your actions? Your job was to heal him and you did not do it! You saw him earlier _**and you still did nothing!**_ Stop crying! Get in that tent and do your job!"

"H-Hai!"

Sakura froze at the entrance, remembering to fix her face and saw an opportunity to do so when she realized her medical supplies were short. She turned to see Tsunade looking straight at her.

"There are bandages on the table near his bed."

"Yes, Master." Sakura bowed her head in embarrassment, tears threatening to escape her.

"Sakura."

She cleared her throat and blinked twice. Her sight was clear when she met the eyes of her Master.

"Don't ever do that again."

"Yes, Master."


	6. Choice

[A/N] This is super long. I don't know what got into me but like I said before, I want this finished before I find out anything that will affect me aka 661. ^_^

thanks so much for the follows/faves/reviews :D

* * *

The air was warm inside the tent, blowing into her hair like a welcome breeze. She ran into Gaara on the way in, the Kazekage eyeing her like he knew that she had been eavesdropping; but said nothing and went on his way. In turn, she let out a deep breath she wasn't aware of holding and pressed on.

Kakashi gave her a warm smile the moment she stepped in, Sasuke had his back to her, while Naruto was taking off his covers and hadn't noticed at all. He shifted his position to sit on the edge of the bed before running his hands from his face to the back of his head, eventually ruffling his own hair as a way to shake off some tension that seemed to have lingered when the Kages had left the room. Sakura stood frozen on the spot, not knowing if she had just walked into something where she wasn't invited, but her Master's voice rang inside her head: _do your job_; spurring her feet to move and finally getting her team mate's attention.

"S-Sakura-chan..." Naruto stared, mouth agape. Sasuke had left his spot on the foot of the bed and took a seat at the bed across Naruto, crossing his arms and nodding at her. While she was in the process of figuring out if her legs felt like jelly or lead, Kakashi had approached and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Look at my team, all grown up," he beamed proudly while giving her a light squeeze.

She leaned onto him, feeling comforted at the gesture, and a little bit, or rather, very emotional. How long had it been since they all gathered in one place - not as strangers, which she was sure to some extent, they were - but as a team? They silently regarded each other; from the first time they separated, the words that were said, the promises made, the attempts to bring back their team mate, the choice to sever ties, the efforts to mend them, the failure of such attempts, the things they had done when they previously crossed paths, the people they were, the people they are now, the moments that led to the war, the things they have done to survive - to win; all of it slowly, but surely sinking in. Without warning, Sakura had burst into tears.

"Well, at least some things never change," Kakashi chuckled, running a hand through the kunoichi's arms.

"Don't cry, Sakura-chan..." Naruto said softly, managing a weak, but genuine smile. It didn't matter what was going on between Sakura and Sasuke. He didn't like seeing Sakura cry, period. In reality he wanted to pry her from Kakashi's arms, wrap his arms around her, comfort her, tell her he missed her, tell her he loved her…

"Yeah. Don't cry, _Sakura-chan_," Sasuke teased, rolling his eyes in the process. His voice snapped her gaze to him; her face that was shining with tears won over by another emotion, causing Kakashi to abruptly quit his attempts to comfort her.

"I'd like to see you try _that voice_ with my fist in your face, Sasuke-kun." The kunoichi's fists balled and temper flaring, all sentiments thrown out the window.

"I'd like to see you **try**," Sasuke smirked, not exactly clear what had brought him to treat the kunoichi in such a manner but not finding it odd nevertheless.

"I'll be your referee," Naruto forced a smile, fully aware that he was suddenly the odd one out. Their friendly banter - or that's what he convinced himself to call it - was already making him so jealous that throwing Sasuke out the tent sounded like a very good idea. Sakura had never threatened Sasuke. And Sasuke never egged her on. Ever. Of course some things change, but why did it change so fast?

"Alright that's enough, children," Kakashi sighed. "There's a much more pressing matter that we have to discuss."

"With all due respect, Kakashi-sensei, it's my choice to make and I think the discussion is over."

"No, it's not. You're not listening to reason,"

"Which part did I not listen to?" Naruto protested, his voice rising again.

"Let's see, how about the part where you're not supposed to put your eggs in one basket?"

"Or how it's never been done before?" Kakashi walked closer to the bed, leaving Sakura rooted to her place.

"Why would they even suggest if such a thing weren't possible?" Naruto was getting really tired of all the talk. He didn't appreciate it either that they kept harping on about it; he never wanted Sakura to know.

"You don't even know what you're getting yourself into!"

"Can't you all just let it go? I know the weight of my own choice!"

"That's the problem dobe, you've already made one!" Sasuke stood from his seat, not being fully aware except for the rising desire to punch till the whiskers faded from Naruto's cheeks.

"Well, you're definitely one to talk!"

"How about stop talking as if I'm not here?" Sakura's voice was cold as ice. She approached the beds and eyed their little group with an accusing stare.

"She doesn't have to know," Naruto mumbled, staring at his lap.

"I swear on your father's grave I will not hesitate to punch you through this tent and into the next village if you address me like that one more time, Naruto."

"You have too many things to deal with, Saku-"

"Why thank you for looking down on me and thinking I can't handle the news, even if it is _technically_ not my business. By the way, I had the unfortunate encounter of overhearing your conversation so excuse me if you should think I'm not worthy enough to know such an important matter!"

"Hey, that's not what I meant!" Naruto fumed. This was not how he imagined their first conversation after the war would be.

"Are you going to have a pre-marital spat or are we going to continue discussing this?" Sasuke intervened, having resumed his seat. The two in question stubbornly turned their heads, trying and failing to hide the blush on their face.

Kakashi had taken a seat next to Sasuke, leaving Sakura standing with her arms crossed.

"I don't know about you, but it would be nice not having to argue between ourselves. Sit down, Sakura - no, not here," Kakashi smiled when she tried to take a seat. "You can sit next to Naruto. We're equals here. He's not our boss, well, not until he becomes Hokage."

"Which won't happen because I'll beat him to it."

Surprisingly, it was Naruto who had nothing to say. His expression darkened, leaning forward, elbows resting on his legs as he slowly lowered his gaze.

"I'm not sure he agre-"

"Sakura, please." Kakashi said firmly, gesturing at the empty spot beside Naruto. "Can we all just calm down and talk about this like adults?"

"Sensei, I hate to disappoint you right now but I'm too tired. I want to sleep," Naruto lied. He felt the mattress shift with Sakura's weight, inside his head he tried to figure out the distance between them; then he realized that right now he was probably further from her than anyone, and he didn't even know how it happened.

His plea was met in silence, probably because he looked convincing – he really was tired, but he was certain he won't sleep.

"Look, I appreciate you giving me your two cents, and I'm thankful that you're concerned enough to try to talk me out of this. But I know more than anyone the reasons behind my choice. This war… No one's going to be able to paint the best picture for anyone when they get back home, be it people from Konoha or from anywhere. I can't have other people suffer and bear the hate that could manifest from this war. It has taken so many, and it won't be forgotten easily. The people who weren't here, and even the people who were but misunderstood all of this; they're going to blame the Biju. It doesn't matter that they were merely used as pawns. No one has ever tried to change the way that people think about them and I intend to do something about that. Besides, having many jinchuriki hasn't stopped the Akatsuki, or anyone else for that matter, from trying to take the Biju. I don't have to know who the villages are going to pick as jinchuriki. I already know what's going to happen because it's a cycle of hate and I have to start somewhere to stop it. "

"Being a junchuriki of all the tailed beasts doesn't necessarily change anything with regards to you, dobe."

"And have you ever thought about how other people will react if all of them were sealed in you? "

"Well I guess the Kages should have thought of that before asking me to choose, Sensei." Naruto chuckled, leaning back on the palms of his hands and trying his best not to peek at Sakura from the corner of his eye. Heaving a sigh, he suddenly felt a little hurt at her lack of reaction. "I'm the only one who can take it, anyway."

"It's not your responsibility, Naruto! Nobody asked you to lead the war, but you did. Why do you always think you're the only one? Why do you always have to give and give and give? You always say that you can take it, and it's great that you do when you do, but you could have easily died in that war, just like you could easily be killed if you don't change your mind!" Sakura fisted her hands in her lap, fighting the tears threatening to spill over.

"Why do you always assume that I'm going to die? And if I do, is that a bad thing? My parents died for Konoha. I would not think twice to do the same."

"Then I have nothing more to say to you," Sakura stood and walked past him to the table near his bed, grabbing hold of the bandages and whatever medical supplies she might need. _Do your job._

"At the rate you're going I'd say you're taking a short cut route to being Hokage."

"Nah, I'd still fight you for it. That's unless you already gave up on it, teme. "

"Not in a million years, dobe."

"Alright, I think it's time we turn in for the… well it's almost morning. But we should try to get some sleep anyway. Naruto, at this point I don't know what will change your mind but I still hope you will think about it. Twenty four hours is a long time. You can still think about this. Sasuke, Sakura, I'll take my leave."

"I'm coming with you. I need to look for Karin. See ya both around." Sasuke added, casting a thoughtful glance at Naruto before stepping out.

* * *

Silence immediately followed after Kakashi and Sasuke's departure. Sakura pretended to be working on the bandages, when in fact she was merely pulling at them unceremoniously for want of something to do other than face him. **_Do your job._**

"Sakura-chan,"

"Please take of your jacket. And your shirt. I'll be done in a minute," she clutched at a bunch of unrolled bandages and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds.

"I… I can't. My right arm is stiff."

His voice had jerked her to turn around immediately, wearing a callous expression as she approached. She grabbed a scissor to cut the bandages on his forearms before tugging at the end of his left sleeve.

"I'll start here first so it's easier to take off the right side," she spoke, not looking at him. Her task required her to move very close to his own face; this was the closest Sakura had ever been since the war ended. Naruto took the opportunity to observe her. She had bags under her eyes and her pupils were bloodshot. Her breathing seemed labored but her grip firm and her touch, soft. Just moments ago he was sullen, now he was head over heels in spite of himself.

Sakura brought her arms around his torso to reach for the jacket from the left side. Doing this accidentally brushed their cheeks against each other, and his face was still rough with dust. She wished she could relish at the contact, but instead a wave of disappointment hit her while she slowly pulled at the right sleeve. The upper arm was swollen and there was a gash the size of his hand, the blood had dried, making it difficult to remove his clothing. He was flinching slightly as she pulled at the orange-and-black fabric, this time her hands shook and she bit her lower lip to keep from sobbing.

"You look beautiful,"

"Wha… What?" she stared incredulously, finally meeting his eyes. He was taken aback when he saw tears about to fall.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan? Is it about this? Oh, y'know there's no need to be upset… It's alright… Hinata did her best and, well, I heal pretty fast anyway. This is… this is nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Really now? Well, why -" temper rising once more as the tears fell on her cheek, Sakura threw the bandage at his face, "don't you-", the antiseptic to his chest, "go heal yourself, then!" she turned on her heel, and dashed towards the exit.

Barely five steps and she felt him catch up to her, arms enclosing on her worn-out form as her heart caved in at his touch. He pressed his whole body to her, his chest pushed on her back, his head rested on the crook of her shoulder, his breath caressed her tear-stained cheek, his arms tightening – injury be damned, she made a mistake of running when he wanted to hold her most.

"Ne, Sakura-chan… If I didn't know any better, I'd say you cared deeply for me…"

Sakura's response was to lower her head and sob, hands cupping her face.

"Hey… What's wrong?" Naruto turned her around and brought her back to his embrace if only to hold her tighter. Her cries came in staggered breaths, her shoulders shaking and his shirt was getting drenched. He didn't care.

"Naruto… I'm sorry I didn't take care of you sooner," she said in between sobs, clutching at his shirt.

"No worries, Sakura-chan. You're here now. That's all that matters."


	7. Remembering

He was back where he sat on the edge of the bed, feeling significantly better after Sakura had calmed and started dressing his wounds. Her tears ended as abruptly as it came, having apologized and, he assumed, understanding that the apology was accepted, she snapped out of her emotional state and asked him to go back to his seat. He watched as she worked in silence, her hands warm; no longer shaking and holding him with the skill he was used to.

"Does this hurt?" She inquired, softly pressing a swollen bruise on his lower back.

"Only a little. I think I have lots of those all over," he chuckled as her hands lightly pressed over a ticklish spot. She had taken to examining the rest of his body when she finished with the wound on his arm; her eyes carefully scrutinized every cut and bruise, her soft hands roaming. He had to admit he was enjoying it very much.

"And this one?" she inquired at a particularly large bruise above the seal on his stomach.

"Everything stings a little, Sakura," he smiled. _Even my heart._ "I think Kurama's too lazy to heal me."

"Or maybe he's doing what you should be doing."

"And what is that?"

"Resting."

Her fingers lightly grazed across his chest, and he particularly loved how his stomach fluttered at the contact. "I think you need it more than I do." He reached for her hand as her palm brushed above his heart, keeping it there.

She stilled at his touch, feeling the steady beat underneath skin and muscle. She was aware of how heavy her eyes felt, especially after crying, but her jade eyes locked on his cerulean; never daring to blink.

"Naruto, is it too much to ask you to please reconsider your choice?"

He lowered her hand, breaking eye contact, a wave of disappointment washing over his face.

"Never mind. Don't answer that," Sakura pulled her hand away. "I'll get you a new shirt."

She came back five minutes later to see her whiskered friend sprawled on the bed, mouth open; his snore reverberating through the room. _And you thought I was the one who needed it more. _Grabbing a blanket and covering his form, she smiled a little in spite of herself while brushing the stray hairs on his face. He didn't look so dangerous lying like that; nothing like one who had countless jutsu in his arsenal – a formidable opponent, or one who led and saved a thousand and more and, one who could do what seemed impossible to others: make an enemy a friend. He had really come a long way since those days of loud mouthed mischief – and those days where he was not someone she regarded as worth her attention. She was standing over the man who was a hero since birth, but was treated the opposite till he began personifying what it really meant to be one. He could really be the Child of the Prophecy, or the next Hokage, and so much more. And for everything he is and will be, he was very much _still_ Naruto. Her hand lingered, lightly caressing the whiskers on his cheek as a strong sense of yearning washed over her. Why did it take her so long to see?

His breath hitched in between a snore; making her jump in surprise. A good enough reality check, it would seem, as her thoughts shifted to a girl who had approached her last night, who had loved him probably for much longer; who did nothing wrong… except probably the bandages.

* * *

The sun was high up when Naruto woke, finding himself alone in the large tent. He figured he must have slept about five hours, but his energy was back like it was never spent and he was very hungry. There was a shirt on the table beside his bed, and it didn't pass his attention that he was covered in a blanket. He stared at the tent's entrance and whispered Sakura's name, stupidly dreaming she would suddenly appear. Instead, Hinata's dark, flowing hair appeared through the flap.

"Naruto-kun, you're awake! Are you hungry?"

"I am, actually," he smiled hearing the grumble in this stomach. He could eat a cow. A whole cow.

"You woke just in time! They're serving lunch right now. Do you want me to bring some for you?"

"No, thanks. I'd like to go outside. Uh, why don't you go ahead? I'll come out in a minute."

She smiled and nodded, giving him a long, lingering look before her head disappeared.

* * *

Rows of tables filled with food were lined up just outside of the forest clearing, giving an ample amount of shade for the hungry shinobi that flocked the place. There, friends and family who haven't seen each other after the war had found each other again, and a happy atmosphere filled the air. Naruto had come walking past and straight into the food table, his mouth watering at the sight of pretty much everything laid out. The man who was serving had recognized him despite his lack of flashy orange attire, looking very happy to see him – so happy that he gave Naruto a bigger plate and filled it with pretty much everything on the table. He accepted with a smile, and let his eyes wander around the field of hungry and happy nin.

"Hey! IT'S NARUTO!"

Kiba had risen from his seat, pointing at him like he had caught him stealing food. A huge roar of cheers and clapping followed; people turning from their seats, even coming to approach him and shake his hand. People began to gather around him, shinobi not from Konoha included; and the attention had him slightly overwhelmed.

Thankfully, it was also Kiba who put everything back in order.

"OI PEOPLE CALM DOWN THE GUY NEEDS TO EAT BACK UP BACK UP HE'LL SIGN YOUR AUTOGRAPHS LATER OK?" he left his seat and began shooing people off.

Hinata was waiting by the table along with Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Ten ten, Shino, and Rock Lee, all smiles and happy to see him. He momentarily remembered Kiba taking the plate off his hand before almost being thrown to the ground in a very tight group hug.

"NARUTOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Sasuke spotted the pink haired kunoichi at the furthermost table near the entrance to the forest. He had started looking for her when he noticed that she wasn't included in the table where the rest of the Konoha 11 sat, of which Naruto had everyone's full attention.

Her back was to the much larger crowd, and sure enough she wouldn't be too noticeable unless someone really intended to seek her. He took a seat and waited for her to regard him, only to find her dozed off with one hand still holding onto chopsticks and the other balled into a fist next to the bowl of food.

"Sakura," he lightly nudged at her shoulder, causing her to jump and drop the chopsticks in her hand.

"Oh, hey Sasuke. Sorry about that, I think I fell asleep."

"No shit. How long's it been since you've rested?"

"I have no clue, to be honest. My shift was up an hour after I took care of Naruto, and I've been at it since this morning so-" she yawned and covered her face apologetically, a tint of red rising on her cheeks. "Sorry."

"You should sleep."

"I will. Soon. Have you eaten? I don't think I want to eat anymore, I just don't have the appetite."

"Meanwhile our blond friend has been coming for third helpings at food table," he turned his head sideways, not quite turning to where Naruto was. He didn't want to be noticed, by him or anyone; and he had a feeling she felt the same.

"I'm going to check on my patients. And then maybe get some sleep," she stood, but Sasuke caught her hand and roughly pulled her back to sit. "What-"

"Sorry, I think I pulled too hard. I have to ask a question," he lowered his voice, closing in on her surprised face.

"Okayyy… what is it?"

"I have a problem. An annoying one," he looked around before continuing. "Everytime I'm near Karin I can… I can…" he ran his hands through his hair, shifting uncomfortably on his seat.

"You can what?"

"I can… hear…"

"Sasuke just spit it"

"I can hear her heartbeat," he let out a long exasperated breath; avoiding her stare. He could tell she was trying to hide the smile forming on her face. "Look, if you don't know-"

"I do. Well, I've _heard_of it, but I need to confirm,"

"So… it's not some kind of hallucination?" he inquired, finally meeting her eyes. He regretted as soon as he did. It did not sit well with him seeing her trying to hold back a laugh.

"It's not funny, Sakura! I can't stand her!"

"Her, or it?" she questioned, that stupid smile never leaving her face. "Because I'm willing you bet you're trying your best not to be around her because of what you're hearing."

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Of course I will. But I need to check what I should do first. I've never encountered that before," she put on a serious face as she rose from her seat.

He sighed, wondering how long it was going to take.

"Want to know something else I've never encountered before?" she stood before him, hands crossed as she stared into his eyes.

"What?"

"You. Blushing." She gave him a satisfied smile before turning to walk back to the medical tents. "I'll see you later, Sasuke."

* * *

Four plates of food later, Naruto sat with his cheek flush against the table, closing his eyes while giving his stomach a satisfied rub. "Yum…"

"Would you like some water, Naruto?" Hinata sat next to him and started stroking his back. He stiffened at the contact, his eyes snapping open when he remembered something.

"Hey have you guys seen Sasuke and Sakura-chan?" he lifted his face off the table, immediately scanning his surroundings.

"We just came back from the battlefield, but I saw Sakura outside the main tent this morning. I haven't seen her since," replied Ino, her eyes swiftly glancing over the hand that had stayed on Naruto's back.

"Sasuke's there," Kiba pointed at a table where, sure enough, the Uchiha sat alone, seemingly in deep thought. Naruto saw the opportunity and stood from his seat.

"I'll go talk to him for a bit. See you guys around!"

* * *

While he tried his best to look inconspicuous, he didn't escape the many people who still managed to notice him. His eyes did not leave his friend; and while he was making his way to regard the people who had come to greet him, he knew that Sasuke was already aware of his approach.

"Haven't seen you much, teme," he greeted, finally taking a seat beside his friend.

"That's not surprising considering you've been sleeping half the day, dobe."

"ATTENTION, SHINOBI OF THE ALLIED FORCES!"

The two turned to the source of the familiar voice to find Kakashi standing in between the field reading a scroll on his hand. They stood from their seats and huddled closer to the listening crowd. Kakashi had easily spotted his former students, and continued on.

"By order of the Five Kages, A Ceremonial Pyre is to be set up to the north of the battlefield later this afternoon. ANBU forces and a stationary staff of medics will stay to take care of our wounded. All men and women who fought and are not currently indisposed, including some civilians who are present today are encouraged to attend the ceremony after sunset where we will mourn and honor those who have fallen."

Kakashi had rolled up the scroll and the crowd dispersed, with the exception of Naruto and Sasuke. He waited till they were the ones left before opening his mouth to speak.

"I take it you've both had some sleep. Naruto, your decision is expected after the Ceremony this evening. And Sasuke, you will be summoned to face the Kages to address your def-"

"I know. I was told by the Hokage earlier," Sasuke replied, his face void of expression.

"Any word on how it will go down?"

"Nothing yet, Naruto. Tsunade is more than willing to back you up."

"I'll back you up, Sasuke. I won't accept anything less than your reinstatement to the ranks."

"I'm not entirely sure that's possible, Naruto. I'm telling you this now to give you an idea that things might not go entirely to our favor. Also, you will be standing with the Kage at the front of the Pyre. There will be no segregation of the dead but the crowd will be segregated according to villages to facilitate the final count of uninjured survivors."

"I'll see you all later, then," Sasuke turned to leave, Kakashi and Naruto staring at his wake.

The sun had set on the horizon, painted by a mixture of deep orange and dark blue as the first stars appeared in the sky. The Five Kages, who wore their traditional robes and hats, followed by Naruto and a few other prominent people from the Five Great Nations had occupied the front row, while the rest of the crowd were lined up across them, on the other side of the pyres.

The Kages stood in front of their respective pyres, leading the crowd for a short prayer before each threw a burning piece of wood to start the flame. This was also done by a select few jonin, Kakashi and Guy included, who threw theirs from the other side. Shortly after, the flames rose high above the sky, and people weren't even trying to hold in their tears anymore.

Naruto's heart ached in both sadness and gratitude. He had lost dear friends. He had lost comrades. All the names and faces of the people he had fought with, all of whom shared their love for their fellow shinobi and their villages; the fire symbolizing their physical forms leaving the earth.

He scanned the crowd across them and quickly found Sasuke and Sakura at the far end of the crowd, nowhere near their friends. There was no mistaking the light sheen of tears on Sakura's cheek, while there was nothing to be said of the expressionless face of his dark-haired friend. He looked away, ignoring the sharp pang in his chest, and saw the rest of the Konoha 11 behind Kakashi, including, to his relief, Iruka-sensei.

The ceremony drew to a close, and the Kages with the exception of Tsunade had filed out and back into the tents. Naruto could not help looking back at where Sakura was, but found she had disappeared, along with Sasuke.

"The meeting will start in an hour. I'll send Kakashi to take you."

"Thanks, Baa-chan."

They walked back in silence, words not being needed in such a moment. Plenty of shinobi had remained, including Hinata and Neji's team mates, Rock Lee and Ten Ten. Kiba also stayed behind, lending his shoulder to the still sobbing Hyuuga princess.

Naruto left Tsunade with the other Kages and made his way back to his tent. He was surprised to find Sasuke standing near the entrance.

"Thought you might like to know, dobe. Sakura just collapsed at the ceremony earlier so I took her back. She's inside."

* * *

Thanks so much for the reviews/follows/faves! :D

I'd like to address something that I feel is important.

DiizGiirlJess - thanks for pointing out the way Tsunade is addressed by Sakura in the previous chapters. She calls her Tsunade-sama or Tsunade-shishou, the latter of which became my basis for using the word "Master" since it means just that. Since you've mentioned it, though, I have absolutely no clue as to why I never considered using the usual Tsunade-sama/shishou since obviously I've kept it for characters like Kakashi and Iruka. As it stands, I might change it, depending on how I feel about it in the end. But thank you for pointing it out :D


	8. An Understanding

Crossing the threshold in haste, Naruto skidded to a halt when Sakura's heavy breathing filled his ears. He slowed, drinking in her form beneath the snow-white blanket. The small lamp on the bedside table illuminated her small face; giving a soft glow to the otherwise empty tent. He could tell she was in deep sleep, but she didn't look relaxed at all. She laid sideways, her brows furrowed and her hands clutched at her chest; as if holding something she feared might be taken away. Her hair was still tied back, indicating that she had been on duty even prior to the Ceremonial Rites. He reached out and, careful not to wake her, slowly removed the tie and ran his fingers through her hair.

_Sakura-chan…_

"Step back a little, Naruto."

He had been so concentrated on her that he did not even notice Tsunade and Sasuke enter the tent. "Is she… alright?" Naruto asked, doing what he was told but not turning around nor taking his eyes off Sakura.

"I need to check her to know for sure. Help me take this off," Tsunade carefully lifted Sakura and unzipped her vest, allowing Naruto to pull it off. She then laid her back on the bed, quietly examining the rest of her body while her team mates looked on.

Naruto was shifting restlessly on his feet as Tsunade finished up and began writing things down on a clipboard. "Baa-chan…"

His plea was unheard and she did not regard him till she finished. "She's going to be fine. She has no fever and there's nothing irregular with her vitals; it's just chakra exhaustion. I'm actually surprised she suffered from this, since I had already split all the medics into small teams and gave them shifts."

"When I saw her at lunch she hadn't rested yet. She was dozing off in front of her food," Sasuke explained, successfully tearing Naruto's eyes from the kunoichi on the bed.

Tsunade sighed, "I was with her the whole afternoon checking on some of the patients under her care. She didn't look tired at all. Then again you never do when you're running on pure adrenaline. Anyway, doesn't matter." She turned to smooth Sakura's blanket before giving her hand an affectionate squeeze. "She'll have a couple of days off, I'm sending out an order for it. While she doesn't need constant care I still hope neither of you are too busy to check up on her. The people are to return to their respective villages two days from now. I don't want her to meet her parents in such a weakened state."

"I'll take care of her, Baa-chan."

"Good. The meeting will start in half an hour. I'll see both of you then,"

* * *

"I didn't know you two were together at lunch," Naruto sat next to Sasuke, his voice tinged with bitterness.

Sasuke said nothing.

"Weren't you together at the ceremony too?"

"Would you like me to tell you what you already know? You obviously saw us, dobe." Sasuke smirked, eager to push Naruto's buttons. "How about let me tell you something you don't know?"

Naruto sighed in defeat. Perhaps he was going to announce the Uchiha Wedding and he was going to be the Best Man. Who was he kidding? He knew this was going to happen; might as well try to accept sooner, not that it would hurt any less. "Be my guest."

Shifting in his seat, Sasuke seated comfortably and crossed his arms before speaking. "You don't seem to understand where Sakura and I are coming from when we ask you to reconsider your choices of late. I know you have your reasons, and I know we could never understand what it means to be like you, but hear me out for a bit."

Clearly surprised, Naruto could only nod in response.

"Now that the war is over I'm certain that the Allied Forces wouldn't have stood a chance, even with a Sannin like Tsunade. If the other jinchuriki hadn't fallen the whole war wouldn't have centered so much on you, then again I didn't know how big a role you actually played till I saw for myself. In any case, it never occurred to me that you wouldn't survive, and frankly I was, at the time, selfish enough to ensure your survival and one day claim the honor of defeating you."

"Is that a compliment or what?"

"It isn't, dobe. You were dying when Madara tried to take the beast from you."

"So you're criticizing me."

"No. I'm trying to tell you something but you keep interrupting me with your side comments. Are you going to keep adding after every sentence? I might actually give up telling you something very important."

Naruto looked sideways, the seriousness taking him aback. Cold air had somehow made its way inside the tent and breezed through to the surface of his skin, making his hair stand on end. Sasuke focused on a spot on Sakura's bed, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Like I said, you were dying. I didn't know it was happening; I was just… staring in disbelief. Someone had to knock some sense into me. She did," he paused and let his gaze rest on Sakura's face.

"She ran to me, clutching at my shirt, crying her eyes out. She said you were already dying, and that if Madara succeeded, we would be too late. She asked me - no... begged me, to save you. I've seen her cry before, Naruto. Not that I'm proud of it, but I made her cry a lot, didn't I? I'll never forget her face. Before I came to the battlefield I wanted to win, because my goals had not changed. I saw the seat of the Hokage as a title that would bring my family honor, and a perfect way to rebuild my own name. I still do, and like I said I will fight you for it. But when she came to me, begging me to save your life… She knew, and I knew, that if I just stood there and did nothing, that if I even so much as failed to give you time to fight back, you would die. And we would die along with you."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders in an effort to lighten the emotion filling his chest. Hands fisted on his lap, he kept his head low and smiled. "That's not true, Sasuke. You're strong enough and so is she; so is everyone. The war would've been won. All of you would have survived."

"That may be true. But I think you know what I'm trying to say. We would have lost so much more, Naruto. Sakura shook me with words up to now I don't know the full effect of. Your death - I couldn't even imagine it. It was very selfish of me. You couldn't die. You still had to face me. You said we'd die together; I said I would destroy you and everything you stood for. You said you'd bear my hate, but little did I know while we fought together, you already did. If you died, I would have nothing, and no one would care about me."

"That's not true."

"It's the only truth that I _knew_. It was only after the war that I finally understood. I understood you, and I wanted you to know that. I didn't have to be alone here."

A smile crept on Naruto's face. "I'm glad you feel that way, Sasuke."

"And don't even get me started on her, I've never seen her so distraught before… Sakura and I… I think we understood each other more than we ever did our entire lives."

"Is making me jealous the desired effect of this conversation?"

"No. But if that's what you're feeling then you're completely missing the point."

"I didn't miss the point, Sasuke. I get it," he sighed, somehow feeling a little bit better. "I haven't even thanked you for all your help."

"I'm waiting," he replied, chin high up in the air.

Naruto chuckled in spite of himself. "Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Sasuke. I mean it."

"Oh I know. You're welcome, dobe."

"I wish it was that easy, teme. Either way, sounds like I need to rethink my choice, don't I?"

"Or you could find another way," Sasuke smiled. "Never give up, right?"

He then initiated a gesture that caught Naruto by surprise: a fist bump. He gladly reciprocated, his signature grin lighting up his face. "Never give up."

* * *

A/N:

Thanks for the reviews! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Need to answer some, though:

twwistedimagination - thank you for the compliment :) I'm drafting at about twelve chapters, but if ever I extend it won't be longer than fifteen. They say the new chapter will be out on the 15th, so this story will be done by then. :)

**_guest -_**I'm pretty sure the first chapter already established Hinata's character in this story. She's actually not oblivious here, she knows exactly what she's doing. I don't understand how you should think that way, because based on Hinata's character in canon (this is fanfiction after all), she wouldn't initiate something as heavy as completely ask Sakura to step aside in healing Naruto when she doesn't have any medical experience at all. As for creating drama, well I wouldn't have a story if there isn't, would I? :)


	9. Light

It was well into the night when Naruto and Sasuke were summoned to the meeting. It finished, at least for Naruto, far earlier than he expected. The discussion was very quick, with him stating that he needed more time and that he didn't think either of the options would be the best for everyone concerned. What surprised him was that they agreed, and were willing to give him enough time to figure it out. Returning to their respective villages had become first priority, and the "Biju Problem", some of them now called it, was suddenly sidelined, leaving him a little offended. He understood the importance of putting the people first, and yet, how quick were they to decide whenever power was concerned?

* * *

The seal glowed faint purple; a beautiful contrast to the tuft of disheveled bangs that fell on her face as she rolled on her back, head tilted slightly to the side. He was back inside the tent, gazing at her from the foot of her bed, fingers enclosed the cold railing. Only now did he have the opportunity to appreciate this new addition to her features - as if she wasn't attractive enough. He had come in, mind reeling in confusion, but seeing her now, though in a state not very different from earlier, made him feel considerably better. Everything about her was beautiful; from the roots of her pink hair to the tips of her toes, the curves of her softest parts, to the sharp angles that make her strong. She had really come a long way; that seal a testament no clearer. More than anything, his chest warmed with pride. Change wasn't only physical, after all.

When he came back to Konoha and told her that she was the same old Sakura-chan, perhaps what he really meant to say was she was still the same old Sakura-chan _he still loved_. That didn't come out too well, now that he thought about it. In any case the slightest bit of flirting would have earned him more than the bruises he received that day. Nevertheless, he couldn't deny; his childhood crush was no more, because it had become like a seed that sprung and taken root in his heart, steadily growing over time. His feelings have never wavered, his desire almost overflowing and his heart ached for her, in more ways than he could ever count. If it was because he came so close to death that he now had more profound thoughts about love, he did not know. At the very least he was more certain about her than anything.

He heard the steady rustle of the tent flap, announcing Sasuke's return.

"Well, that was quick."

Sasuke shrugged, approaching to stand next to him. "Tell me about it. So what now? Are you locking up the Biju?"

"I told them I didn't choose and that I was going to look for another way. They agreed, and that was that. Actually I was more interested in what they wanted to do with you."

"Ahh, yes. Me," he replied with a smirk. "They called it _disciplinary action_, and made it very clear that I had been given additional considerations because of my contribution to the war."

"Rightfully so," Naruto nodded, gaze still locked on the sleeping kunoichi.

"The decision was to seal part of my chakra, then to gradually release it over a period of time."

Naruto turned to face him, brows furrowed. "That's interesting..."

"Tsunade will seal me, and she said the one who will release my chakra will be you."

"ME?" Naruto exclaimed, eyes widened in shock.

"Jeez, Naruto, can you keep it down?"

* * *

The two turned to see their pink haired team mate stifle a yawn with a blanket over her mouth. She then stretched her arms before jerking them back suddenly; realization dawned upon her face.

"What am I _doing_ in a bed?"

"You collapsed, and Sasuke brought you here. Baa-chan also went to check up on you earlier," replied Naruto.

"Oh. Thank you, Sasuke." She pinched the bridge of her nose, running her fingers to massage her temple. She pushed herself up in a sitting position, moving aside as she saw Naruto approach. "If I heard correctly or if I wasn't dreaming, you didn't choose to be jinchuriki of the beasts after all. Wonder what made you change your mind. Sit."

He smiled in reply as he felt her eyes scanning the injuries beneath his jacket, probably sensing that everything was in order as she settled to lean on her pillows. He then sat above the covers in the same direction; close enough for him to be comfortable, but not too close as to make _her_ uncomfortable.

"Go on, I heard you two earlier," she smiled, absentmindedly fixing the blanket.

"Tsunade said she was giving the power to release the seal to Naruto. As to the amount of chakra to be sealed, and when the sealing will be done, they haven't decided yet," Sasuke explained.

"And… you're okay with this?" inquired Sakura. Her eyes had left the covers and met his.

"I can't go back to Konoha if I don't submit to those conditions. What's more, I can't leave Konoha either. I'm not allowed, unless I'm on a mission if I decide to be reinstated as shinobi."

"If, what do you mean, if?" Naruto berated.

Sasuke shrugged, lips formed in a pout as he glanced at Naruto. "They gave me free reign. I can choose whatever I want to be as long as… what did she say? Hmm… As long as I don't pose a _threat_ to Konoha or its people."

"I never thought you'd consider any other career, Sasuke," replied Sakura, arms crossed.

"And I bet you never thought Naruto would reconsider his options, either. But look at him now: all indecision and needing more time. You know, I'm also getting my inheritance when I reach eighteen. I might be too busy building my own castle taller than the Hokage Tower."

"You're not serious," Sakura raised her eyebrows, forcing herself not to smile; the image of Sasuke-the-carpenter now invading her brain. There was no trace of amusement on his face, rather it was blank as a sheet.

"Inheritance... Wow. That doesn't sound like a disciplinary action anymore," Naruto smiled. He didn't believe for one second that Sasuke was serious. "You know, I got a bit of a reminder from Baa-chan before I left earlier."

"And what is that?" Sakura inquired, turning sideways to look at him. He had not turned to her; and instead his blue eyes locked at the Uchiha with renewed determination she hadn't seen since the war.

"I'll race you to jounin status, teme."

Sasuke smirked, his eyes looking down at Naruto. "If you can, dobe."

"Can't ever seem to impress you, can I?"

"I have high standards. Now excuse me while I contemplate the many ways you're going to look inferior when I beat you with a percentage of my chakra sealed." He then turned with a wave of hishand before he disappeared through the flap.

* * *

Sakura yawned and slid beneath the blankets, eyes heavy as she turned to look at Naruto. "He has a point, you know."

"Yeah... A very good point at that," he sighed, then forced himself to smile as he ran his fingers through his hair. "The only solution I can think of is leaving everything late - at least until he gets all his chakra released - and I don't even know how long that's going to take."

She felt his legs shift but kept her gaze on his face, his lips pursed and eyes locked at a spot ahead. He stayed like that for a few minutes, and she blinked and rolled on her stomach, burying her head in the pillows to stifle another yawn. When she looked up he neither moved nor acknowledged her; and immediately she felt out of place.

"You might end up being a very old Hokage, if ever," she said softly, resting her chin on the pillow. She was getting sleepy, and since he wasn't looking at her or showing the slightest interest she might as well get some.

A few moments later, she felt the weight shift on the other side of the mattress. She assumed he sat up on the edge of the bed, probably waiting for an opportunity to leave. Annoyed and bitter, she opened her eyes and turned to sit, ready to make his life easier by punching him out of the tent, only to find him in the position she imagined, but hunched forward with his hands clasped at the back of his neck, elbows resting on his lap. Turning his head slightly to the foot of the bed, he unclasped his hands and rested them on the mattress.

"You think I'm going to be Hokage?" he whispered, unmoving.

"What kind of a question is that, Naruto?" Sakura sat up straight, all traces of sleepiness suddenly leaving her. The flame inside the lamp flickered as a cold breeze blew across the tent. "Naruto,"

He turned in his seat at faced her, eyes staring down at the crease he had made on the covers. "I was thinking about the Biju."

"What's the Biju have to do with you becoming Hokage?"

He took a deep breath and finally met her eyes.

"I've decided to release Kurama. I'm setting all the tailed beasts free."

* * *

Sakura blinked; not entirely sure she understood. The air in the tent suddenly thinned, and the corners seemingly closed around her.

"Wha… What?"

"Sakura-"

"What do you mean you're releasing him?" Sakura replied, voice shaking. She resorted to fisting her hands beneath the sheets in an effort to control her temper. "Do you really NOT care about your own life?"

His eyes softened in plea, and she turned her gaze away from him.

"It's the only way," he inched closer and their eyes met once more. "Listen, Sak-"

"You can't make me believe you put serious thought it this!"

He swiftly grabbed her hand, surprised to find it fisted beneath the covers. "Sakura-chan, please hear me out." His grip softened as his thumb slowly caressed her knuckles, loosening her fingers in the process. She let out a long sigh and shut her eyes, fearing the weakness about to overwhelm her.

"I'm listening," the other hand that wasn't beneath Naruto's left her lap and stayed fisted on her side.

"I haven't told you about my mother, right?" their eyes met, and the corners of his lips turned upwards in a faint smile.

Despite her annoyance, her curiosity was instantly aroused. "No, you haven't."

He turned his gaze to the small lamp on her bedside table, eyes shining at the memory. "My mother was Kurama's jinchuriki before me. She appeared in my subconscious some time ago while I was trying to control him."

He had kept his hand over hers, absentmindedly brushing circles with his thumb.

"How was she?" Sakura's chest swelled at this new information; feeling the warmth of his hand through the thin blanket that separated them, and she couldn't help but smile seeing the look on his face while he spoke.

"Well, she was… She was beautiful! She had long, straight red hair that went down to her ankles, purple eyes and a bright smile… She was loud, like me," he chuckled and his fingers tightened over hers; suddenly making him realize where his hand was and whose fingers were beneath the blanket.

"And she was short tempered like-" his voice fell to a whisper as he slowly retracted his hand, another realization hitting him like a punch to the gut. He blinked twice, forcing his head to turn the other way in an attempt to hide the blood rising to his cheeks. His mother's voice rang inside his head, clear as day.

_Try to find someone like your mother._

Sakura's eyes travelled to the space where his hand had been, the loss saddening her more than she cared to admit. And even then she couldn't understand what he had just said. "Naruto?"

"Huh? Oh…" he cleared his throat and took a deep breath, disappointed at himself for forgetting there was something much more important at hand. "As I was saying, I met her, and she told me everything that happened before I was born."

Sakura watched as the hand that left hers had resorted to momentarily rubbing the back of his neck to rest on his lap. His eyes had gone from soft to serious in a matter of seconds, prompting her to regain her own focus.

"Obito had extracted Kurama from my mother when she gave birth to me, because that's when the seal was weakest. The reason why I'm telling you this, Sakura-chan, is because my mother _survived_."

Sakura's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

Naruto shook his head. "She really did. I just can't tell for certain if she was in the state of dying or not, because we both know what happened after, but I've thought about this ever since most of you went against my choice to be the only jinchuriki. If I could survive the extraction, and somehow give the Biju physical forms that aren't subject to any living thing or village or country, then…"

"You mean to say, you're going to give them a life of their own?"

"Exactly! Just imagine… if they are treated as physical beings, then they would be free to make their own choices and not be subject to manipulation by anyone!"

"Naruto… That's amazing, really… But how come you didn't tell us in the first place," she frowned, breaking his stare.

"Please don't misunderstand, Sakura-chan. I didn't think I'd be making this choice anyway, remember? Up until earlier tonight I only had two choices to go with. And if it wasn't for Sasuke I wouldn't even consider this at all! "

"Which part about the phrase _you don't always have to do everything on your own_ doesn't make sense to you, Naruto? What do you want?"

"I don't want to fight-"

"I'm not fighting you, Naruto. I'm not your enemy. I'm your team mate, I am your _friend_. What I'm asking is that you tell me what you want to do, tell me what you need and please…" she fought back the tears in her eyes and clutched the crease of his jacket at the junction of his elbows, the only part of him near enough to reach. "Let me help you. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

She felt his hand enclose hers, giving it a light squeeze before turning his back to her. "I'm leaving for Myobokuzan tomorrow morning. As you can see I need a little guidance, and maybe the Great Toads can help."

* * *

He stood and stepped away from the bed, stilled for what seemed like a long moment. His hands fisted at his sides as he took deep breaths to compose himself, breaking the suffocating silence that had enveloped the inside of the tent.

"I think that you should rest, Sakura. Baa-chan gave you a couple of days off, just in time to be fit for the return to Konoha."

"But –"

He placed his hands inside his pockets and turned, his trademark grin plastered on his face. "You don't have much to work with here, but I'm pretty sure you can fish out some stuff for me when you return to Konoha. That's why I want you to rest, because I might keep you up all ni… "

Brows furrowed in confusion, Sakura was beyond understanding why her lips desired to smile rather than pound him into oblivion.

"-up all night at the Library. Yes. The Library. So,"

He stepped closer to the bed once more and pulled on the edges of the covers, trying but unsuccessfully smoothing the surface as he leaned down to gaze at her beautiful jade eyes. "Please get some rest, Sakura-chan."

She was at a loss for words, but thankfully they didn't seem to be required right now. She slid beneath and laid sideways, failing to hold back a smile as he whispered good night; his bright blue eyes engraved in her memory before he blew out the flame on her bedside table.

* * *

A/N For some reason I'm not getting things done faster *red alert*. Still, I want to keep my deadline of finishing this before the new chapter comes out because I'm a stubborn kid. Again, I want to say thanks a bunch to all the nice reviews and critiques! ( ˘ ³˘)


	10. Prophecy

**"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!" **

Fukasaku appeared in a puff of smoke, a big smile lit up his face before he jumped on the young man's shoulder. "Naruto! It's good to see you!"

Naruto stood and turned his head with a smile. "Likewise, Grandpa Sage!"

He ventured deeper in to the forest, electing to climb a very tall tree and settled on a branch near the top when he was certain there was no one in the area besides them. They looked on at the camp below, a vast field of tents, now smaller in number from yesterday as the Allied Forces begin preparations for return to their respective villages.

"I need your help."

Fukasaku nodded. "I know. Ojiji-sama said you would."

"He did?"

"Yes. I was merely waiting for your summons. And since you don't seem so comfortable here perhaps we should be on our way?"

Naruto nodded, and in a brief _pop, _the two disappeared, leaving a thin cloud of smoke to dissipate in the early morning sky.

* * *

"I have been waiting for you. It's been a while."

The voice of the Great Told Sage echoed across the hall, his face a familiar squinty-smile, one that Naruto still wasn't quite sure if he was happy to see.

"Indeed it is, Super-Size Sage!" he answered. "You do know who I am, right?"

"Ah... I'm suprised it took you so long to make it, Young Man. I was expecting you to come sooner. I am getting old."

"You don't say? Shall I remind you my name?" Naruto replied, flashing his trademark grin. The Toad would show the faintest of smiles before he turned serious, prompting the blond to straighten up his stance and exhale a shaky breath he did not know he was holding. "I hear you have some news for me?"

"I have seen your future U... U..."

"Uzumaki Naruto. Jeez, Super-size! I'm going to be Hokage soon, you should care to at least remember me y'know!" he closed a fist to his heart, choosing confidence over the nervous feeling at the pit of his gut.

"Ahh... Yes. Uzumaki Naruto. I have seen your future."

_You already said that._

Naruto looked on, waiting eagerly for whatever was his fate. The large toad blinked twice, really slow, and seemed to have inhaled all the air inside the room when he took a breath and spoke.

"You will stand in the middle of the sun and moon and surround yourself in mountains that will melt into hills." An uncomfortable silence followed. Even the wind seemed to still. "The clouds will fall, you will stand alone."

Despite his unease, the Sage's voice was surprisingly clear to him; as if he was expecting the words that, right now, he did not understand one bit.

"Then you inside will wither and die."

The Great Toad Sage closed his eyes and opened them again, waiting for any sort of reaction from the blond. Naruto said nothing, and instead swallowed a particularly huge lump at the back of his throat for want of anything to do. It was Fukasaku who had come shouting for a repeat of the Great Toad's prophecy. It didn't become any pleasant the second or third time around, but it's not like he needed telling twice. He remembered everything without fail.

There was no mistaking those words. He was goingto die.

* * *

It was early in the morning when the remaining shinobi of the Allied Forces were gathered to receive their final instructions. Quite a few have stayed, including Sakura, even though she was already given clearance to head home. Her patients were fewer than before, all happy to see her and in a much better state.

"I'm assuming Naruto will head straight to Konoha when he returns?" Tsunade glanced through the pages of the clipboard in her hand, her lips a well formed pout. She had Sakura accompany her while they made final rounds inside the medical tents to make sure the patients were released in good condition.

"I think so, Shishou."

"He didn't get into much detail when he spoke to me about his plans. What about you? Has he told you anything?"

Sakura shook her head. "I don't think he's entirely sure how he's going to do anything, Shishou. "

"You may be right. Somehow his leaving for Myobokuzan makes perfect sense. Let's just hope he finds out what he needs to do fast, because as of now word had come out that there are people already wondering where the Biju are. It's too soon, but it's not safe to have the tailed beasts wandering about like that, it could pose danger on all sides."

* * *

Fukasaku sat on Naruto's back while he did push-ups on a flat rock in the middle of the stream. The sun was setting, and by his calculations he had about ten minutes before the rock would be submerged in water. Ever since the prophecy there weren't a lot of words exchanged between him and the toads, though he was sure the whole mountain knew. Fact was, he no longer had any business there, yet he stayed because he didn't want to come sprinting back to Konoha with nothing but a prophecy about his up and coming death. He found himself wishing he could forget, just like before when the words would enter in one ear and out the other.

Naruto's chest dipped on the first splashes of cold water that came rushing in over the surface of the rock. Fukasaku was quick to give his ear a good pull, telling him to stop now. He had taken to beating himself up with quiet, random training sessions on his own, often running off to places in the mountain he had never been. If he was subconsciously doing this because he may never see it all again, he did not know.

"The Allied Forces are returning to the villages today. In fact, I think almost everyone is back home by now, including your friends."

Deep in his own thoughts, Naruto could only nod at Fukasaku's remark. His home had never seemed so far away before. Coming back to Konoha would spur things into action; if they haven't already. He felt like he was his own ticking clock, counting down the days. He had been trying to figure out what the prophecy meant, and despite the possibility – or even inevitability – of death, he knew that his priorities changed.

He rose from the water without bothering to dry off his pants, then headed back to the hall where the Great Toad Sage was, Fukasaku following suit.

"Hey Super-Size, could you help me find the rest of the Biju?" Naruto shouted. "I know you can do the Telescope Technique. And I know all the Biju's chakra patterns, so…"

The Great Toad leaned forward, the creases of his seemingly rough skin incredibly visible now. "Hmm. Why do you want to find them?"

"Well I'd very much prefer not to die, Super-Size."

A deafening laugh rang through the hall. "But what if it was your destiny to die?"

"I choose my destiny, Super-Size. I'm going to be Hokage."

"Just as I thought. That's why I did not hesitate to tell you everything, U… U…"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Yes. Naruto, come closer."

The Great Toad pointed finger at Naruto, and his instinct told him to do the same. Their fingers touched, a shot of electricity ran through his form and in an instant, the sensation was gone. The Toad fell silent and made a couple of hand seals, conjuring the crystal ball and its cushion that appeared in a puff of smoke. Another set of hand seals later, and a light erupted from inside, flashing image after image of the eight tailed beasts.

"Looks like you won't need to go very far, Naruto. The tailed beasts are in Konoha."

* * *

sorry for not updating (and not finishing as i previously said). i'm going to shut up about sooner updates because i suddenly don't want to rush this especially after going through my rough outline - it's so much more complicated to write now, not to mention i'm going to create a supplementary fic for this (yes it's that complicated now) so i'm really sorry but thank you thank you so much for the follows and faves. :)


	11. The Return

The night was colder than usual, and the wind stung his cheek as he stood on a spot high up a tall tree at the edge of the forest. Most of Konoha was closed up for the day, the streets quiet and deserted, save for a few stray cats that wander around, and a silhouette of someone sitting on the swing at the Academy playground. His goal was to get to his place undetected, and it was a good thing he chose to come back past midnight, because it was looking like the kind of setting where he would succeed.

He set off on the nearest route to his place, light steps propelling his feet from the roofs of homes and buildings, one after the other. Out of curiosity he strayed a little in his path to sneak a look at the person on the swings, but he found it empty when he reached there. He had to admit he was a little disappointed; it wasn't hard to hope that it was someone he knew – even though he originally intended that no one see him return.

The stairs were dark and unwelcoming, none at all too appealing even though his home waited above; he couldn't help but feel a little left out at the fact that everyone was already back here and he was a couple of days behind, even though it is his entirely his fault. There would be nothing much to talk about when they meet, or if there was, perhaps he wouldn't relate to the conversation very much. He let his mind wander to his most precious people; Sakura, what was she doing now? Sleeping, most probably. He felt good at the thought, remembering her state when he saw her last. And what of Sasuke? Did he return to the old Uchiha compound or did he find a new place? His heart stung; perhaps his team mates have been catching up to each other. Two days wasn't much, but Sasuke hadn't stepped foot in Konoha for years – maybe they already started making up for the lost time.

His musings did not, however, prepare him for the sight of that certain kunoichi sitting by his door. She was hugging her knees, head bent low, seemingly oblivious to his approach. He had no idea how long she sat there, but the floor was cold and he wasn't letting her stay there any longer.

"Sakura-chan," he crouched down and gently nudged her shoulder. "Sakura,"

She lifted her head and stared back with lidded eyes, blinking a couple of times and yawning before it dawned upon her. She blamed the lack of light, but it was, most certainly, the bright blue eyes of her friend staring back at him.

"Naruto!" she beamed, quickly leaning forward, her arms instinctively wrapped around him and almost knocked him off balance.

She hadn't even pressed onto him long enough when she realized and suddenly pulled away, giving herself an internal lecture for being so bold. He must have been so tired. It was out of her place to be embracing him like she was some … special person who was waiting for him to come home.

Her hesitation and quick reflexes did not pass his notice; after all, he barely had time to enjoy her welcome when she so swiftly took it back. It made him feel a bit guilty for immediately blaming Sasuke for her actions, but it wasn't like he had someone to point a finger to, anyway. Apparently he wasn't in the same level as his friend. He got up and offered her a hand.

"How long have you been here?" he asked while he unlocked the door with his back turned. He opened the door and turned on the lights, suddenly thankful that he actually cleaned up well last time he was here. It wasn't so bad, but there was no mistaking the looks of a place that had no inhabitants for quite some time. _Home sweet home._

"Oh… It doesn't matter, Naruto," she chuckled. "How are you anyway?"

Despite his bitterness earlier, he couldn't help but feel weak at her question. He wanted to tell her everything, because his own mind wasn't being very comforting, and he wanted – needed – to feel a little bit of security, and he needed to feel it from her.

"Come in, Sakura-chan. Sorry it's not so-"

"I can't, Naruto. I… I just snuck out the house. Well, I have been since we got back here but you know… I thought you'd be back sooner and I can't exactly stay any longer because my parents might find out so… Oh but tell me first."

"Tell you what first?" Naruto asked, slightly amused. It really was late anyway. He needed more than a few hours of discussion if he was going to tell her what really happened.

"Well, what happened in Myobokuzan?" she stood by his door and he felt bad that she won't come in.

"I'm going to need a lot more time to explain that, Sakura-chan. Come on, let me take you home."

He reached out his hand to her, leaving her confused. "Naruto, my home's four blocks away from here, not… not inside your-"

"I know, and that's where I'm taking you," he offered his hand once more. "Come."

She took his hand and let him pull her closer, and a couple of quick hand seals later, she felt her body jerk sideways as her feet left the ground for a few seconds, a whirl of blinding flashes of color hit her eyes before she felt solid ground again, almost falling to her knees if not for Naruto's arms catching her.

"What… the hell… was that?" Sakura panted, shaking in his arms as she fought the dizziness taking over her form.

"It's a variation of the Flying Thunder God Technique. I'm calling mine the Instantaneous Thunder God Technique!" Naruto replied proudly in his too-loud voice, enjoying the cold breeze that forced Sakura to lean closer to him.

"Okay _Instantaneous Thunder God, _but what are we doing in the roof of my house?" she inquired, still clutching at his jacket for balance.

"Oh..," he chuckled. "Well… looks like it's not so perfect just yet."

"Yeah tell me about it, I can barely stand."

Naruto surprised her once again by taking her in his arms and jumping to the balcony outside Sakura's room. This time she punched him immediately after he let her down, albeit softly due to her still dizzy state.

"Ouch, Sakura-chan," he teased, clearly unaffected.

"You should wait for me to recover,"

"Or maybe I should go. It is late, y'know."

"Fine. Leave," she said, leaning on the door to her room for balance.

He leaned on the railing opposite her and crossed his arms with a smile. "I'll wait till you recover."

Her retort was swallowed by the sound of his stomach grumbling; to which he quickly tried to cover up by laughing out loud with a scratch of his head. Sakura rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, her balance finally restored, she opened the door to her room.

"Stay here, I think I have something for you. I'll be back in a bit."

She quickly tip-toed down the stairs to their kitchen and put on some water on a kettle to boil before rushing to the cupboard and reaching for a cup of instant chicken ramen that her father liked to snack on. Worried that she might wake them up at the sound of the whistling pot, she instead stayed close to the stove to prevent that from happening; all the while keeping a close eye at the foot of the stairs.

A few minutes later she arrived at the balcony to find Naruto staring at the street below; seemingly deep in thought. He didn't notice her arrival, so she purposely opened the lid of the cup, releasing the scent of the soup in the air. He jerked his head to her direction, a big smile appearing on his face.

"Woooow, is this for me, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, it is. Please wipe the drool on the side of your mouth," she giggled, then suddenly realized that he must have been so ramen-deprived that she shouldn't have been surprised at his reaction. She handed him the steaming cup and a chopstick. "Dig in. Wait here, I'll get a chair."

She brought a couple of chairs outside and he sat eating happily, not even bothering to exchange words. She busied herself with peeling and slicing an apple, eating a couple of slices as she did. He finished not very long after, slurping loudly and drinking the last of the soup, slumping on the chair with a satisfied sigh.

"That was awesome! Thank you, Sakura-chan! I don't think I've ever had a more delicious meal,"

"You're welcome. War environment isn't exactly ramen environment. Here," she offered him some apples and he gladly took a slice. His happiness was infectious, and she couldn't help but mimic the large grin on his face. "So what's this Instantaneous Thunder God technique of yours?"

"Oh. Well," he bit of a large chunk of apple. "I placed seals all over the walls of Konoha two nights ago. I finished last night, and I've been testing it since this morning."

"You've been here since two nights ago? Why didn't you tell us?"

Naruto quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Ok before you get angry, I wasn't exactly planning on coming back here sooner, because…"

"Because?"

"-because I wanted to master that technique first!" he replied with a scratch of his head. "Looks like I still need to practice my precision, because I originally intended to land us at your front door." He lied. Fact was he simply didn't want to come back sooner; the technique just happened to cross his mind while he was wasting away his time at the mountain.

"You could've dropped by, Naruto. Sasuke and I were wondering why you were taking so long."

The mention of Sasuke, even though in a good light, did not sit well with him; especially how she mentioned him, like they were some… couple. "The jutsu wasn't easy," he simply replied, the apple in his hand suddenly tasted sour.

"Are you going to use that jutsu a lot? Because I'm going to need a warning… and a pill."

"A pill?"

"Yeah, didn't you see me? It was… really dizzying."

"Oh… "

"You mean you didn't feel it?"

"No… It just felt like I was taking a step from one place and landing it in another."

"Really?" she smiled in admiration.

"Yeah… I guess I need to work on that." Her sudden interest was very distracting; he did not like the smile she gave at all. Wasn't he all bitter not five minutes ago?

"So I'm assuming you marked all of Konoha so that you can be anywhere whenever you wanted to or needed to, right?"

He nodded and, despite himself, took another slice of the apple she offered. It was beginning to taste better again. "The Flying Thunder God technique is reliant on a specified point, in this case, the location of the seal. Mine's like that too, except that the scope of the seal is larger, and I don't have to rely on the specific location of the seal, but rather my own specific intended destination."

She shifted in her seat and watched him intently. "Go on,"

"Basically that's it. The takeaway would have to be the amount of chakra required to place the seal, because it requires a lot, and also I couldn't exactly practice inside Konoha. All I did was place the seals during those two nights. I was actually practicing everything in Myobokuzan with a similar seal whose scope was half of the mountain."

"But how do you even get to the place you want to be?"

"Concentration. I'm also sure I know every nook and cranny of this village; or at least the general places. The rest of the places I know more specifically because I know them quite well, or despite their insignificance in the whole map, are places that are dear to me."

He met her eyes and smiled, throwing the last chunk of apple into his mouth.

"Tell me more."

And he did, spending the better part of hours before the sun came up talking about Myobokuzan and his new technique, purposely avoiding the _other_ topic, but reveling in the pleasant feeling of talking to Sakura again.

He left her place before the sun rose, giving his new technique another go. He landed comfortably in a spot near his bed. He closed the door that they left ajar earlier, and, not bothering to take off his shoes, collapsed in a satisfied heap on the mattress.

* * *

FINALLY i've set them both to a location where my story can start moving further *snickers*

thanks for the follows/faves/reviews :D


	12. After the Sunset

It was still early in the morning when he woke to the sound of his grumbling stomach. Despite only being back for what he guessed was three hours, the peace that he thought he achieved by spending a few hours with Sakura was all but gone; the prophecy replaying endlessly in his ears rivaled a broken record, renewing his determination at the task at hand.

He got up and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower and fix himself up. He was sure Iruka sensei had come to check on him in the two days since everyone came back to Konoha, and today was no exception. As much as he wanted to see him, he decided it was best to not attract any attention and just stray from the norm, seeing as he still had things to do and for all intents and purposes, his job wasn't done yet. He told Sakura that he did not want anyone knowing that he was back, and apart from Sasuke, they had agreed that no one else should know. Making sure that he left the apartment looking nothing out of the ordinary, at least from the outside, he once again made use of his newest technique and found himself at the edge of the forest near the Hokage Monument.

The agreement was to meet before sundown at the entrance to the Konoha Archive Library. It was Sakura who suggested it after she had reminded Naruto that they have yet to discuss what to do with the Biju, having made it her business as well. To him, her insistence to get involved was very touching; he liked to think that she cared more than the usual, or that, even if she did not know about the prophecy, his life would actually matter to someone like her. If left room to hope any more then he was asking for a major heart break, especially now that Sasuke was back; his mind did not have room for it and neither did his heart. He would resolve to leave his expectations at a minimum, and when time would allow it and his heart was ready, he could confess and maybe hope a little bit more.

* * *

Sasuke stood by the river, staring at the patch of land across where the old Uchiha compound was built. Everything was still in ruins, including the Naka Shrine which he had previously visited before he entered the war. Since he came back he had not ventured to this place much, although it was always in his mind. Seeing it now he felt it could never be more perfect, because all he had to do was clear up the debris, cut down a few trees that have grown and start building. His own temporary home wasn't so far from here, and with the rest of Taka opting to give themselves up to Konoha after the war, not to mention the old team seven, he felt that he had more than enough to start over.

"Sasuke!"

He turned to see the pink haired kunoichi running, hair up in a ponytail and still in her hospital uniform. He would be lying if he said he did not want to see her.

"I was beginning to think you forgot about our little arrangement," was his form of greeting.

She smiled in response and said, "Nope. Precisely why I've been searching for you since I got off my shift. Oh, but there's also something else you need to know." She looked around before stepping closer, speaking in a low voice. "Naruto came back last night."

"And?"

"We have to meet him before sundown at the Archive Library," her voice fell to a whisper despite her face being incredibly close to his.

"Which part of that is supposed to explain why you're _whispering when you're inches from my face_?" he emphasized those last words, clearly uncomfortable at her _being_ comfortable to do such things. He may have resolved to still be friends, but that doesn't mean she was allowed in his personal space. No one was. No one except -

"Oh… Sorry." She stepped back but kept her voice low, still looking around while speaking. "He… He doesn't want other people to know that he's back."

"Stop looking around, Sakura. I should be able to sense if someone's lurking. So what's the plan?"

"Well, seeing as it's almost sundown we better get going there, don't you think?"

"How about you heal me first? I'm not at all enjoying my sleepless nights."

Sakura eyed him, eyes filled with mischievous curiosity that rivaled the younger Naruto when he was up to something. He resisted the urge not to spit out an ugly remark just to get whatever she was thinking off her head. Maybe he will, but only after she has healed him.

"You know, my trip to the makeshift library took up my entire break time hour so I guess that means you owe –"

"I'll set you up a _proper_ date with Naruto," he said, crossing his arms and giving a nonchalant shrug.

"SHUT UP!" her voice a little louder than intended, blood rising to her cheeks.

"Relax. To think I was rather expecting you'd both be announcing some sort of _thing_."

"What _thing_?"

"The you-and-him thing."

"We are **not** a thing!"

"Hhn. Now, if you please," he shook his head while pointing his fingers like a gun to his ears.

She rolled her eyes and lit her palms with green chakra before placing it on each ear. "For your information, Sasuke, this is actually very rare."

"I am actually not that interested."

"Really?" she smiled. "Shame. I was beginning to think you already know a thing or two about… what was your term? Oh I remember," the light extinguished and she stepped back with a knowing smirk. "_Things_."

"What?"

"Nothing. Anyway, wanna test it? Why not call her?"

"I'm not telepathic, Sakura. Besides, I sent her away because her presence was bothering me."

"That must suck considering you like her. "

"I did **not** say that."

"Didn't have to, Uchiha. And I quote based on that Medical textbook," she raised a finger to the sky with a smile in her eyes. "A very rare case of hearing disorder where one hears another's heartbeat whenever in close proximity, usually caused by a very strong emotional connection resulting to one party being physically affected by the other."

"I could just be physically annoyed at her."

"Nice try, Sasuke. Let's go."

* * *

The sun had cast a deep orange glow over Konoha just as Naruto was making his way out the forest. The faces of the Hokage carved on the mountain seemed a welcome greeting, but only for a brief moment. He had been walking around the forest most of the day, somewhat hoping he would run into a Bijuu and also gathering some fruits for food since those were all he could find. Though eating nothing but fruits would have probably made Sakura proud, his stomach felt empty and he couldn't recall not munching into something as soon as he had finished one piece of fruit. If he did this everyday he was almost certain a fruit shortage would happen - all his doing – and he would still be hungry. He made a mental note to ask Sakura to bring him food next time.

He was about to jump to the front door when none other than Iruka came out. It was a good thing he was looking at the other direction, and that he seemed occupied with a small scroll unfurled in his hands. Naruto made a quick beeline back to the thicket of trees and transformed, the panicked scuffle causing Iruka to look up.

"Iruka se! I mean, Iruka! What brings you here?" he stepped out confidently, waving his hand at the door of the Archive Library.

"Ka.. Kakashi!" he replied, brows furrowed. With his chest out and hands extended both sides in welcome, somehow Kakashi had never looked less… cool.

Noticing this, Naruto stiffened and lowered his lids in his best bored look.

"Well don't let me interrupt. I'm sure you have things to do," he searched his pocket for a copy of Icha Icha Tactics in the hopes of hiding beneath to not arouse anymore suspicion. Much to his delight, the book was there, and he had conveniently hid what was left to cover the masked face. He could tell there was something bothering Iruka and so he stiffly walked past, burying himself in a page.

"Ah, Kakashi, you haven't heard from Naruto, have you?"

His question brought him to a halt, but he thought it best to remain with his back to him as he answered. "No, I haven't."

"I see. But you'll tell me when you do, right?"

There was no hiding the worry in his former sensei's voice. He wanted to transform back into his real self and reassure him, but he stubbornly thought about the implications of his return and decided against it.

"Of course," he replied, walking away and standing by the door, his face not leaving the book till he was certain Iruka was out of sight. Now would be a great time for Sakura and Sasuke to show up.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura ran ahead of Sasuke, stopping just a few feet from the transformed Naruto. "Did Naruto tell you about our meeting?"

"You've got to be kidding me, Sakura. Kakashi doesn't sit like a girl."

"Oi! I'm not sitting like a girl! And what are you doing disrespecting your sensei?"

"I'm not your student, and I never was, Naruto." Sasuke replied, slightly dodging his head at the flying Icha Icha Tactics. It fell in a puff of smoke just as Naruto transformed back to his real form, looking worse for wear because of hunger.

"Sakura chan…" his nostrils flared as he almost crawled to Sakura's feet. " You have any food? You do I can smell it," he knelt and clutched at her pack beneath the white coat.

"Naruto you will think better and get your hands off my pack AND my leg," she threatened, causing him to remove his hands and quickly back up against the door of the Archive Library.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan! But I'm hungry!"

"You could've just asked, you idiot!" she snapped, fisting her hands.

"Just give him your food, Sakura. Jeez. I never thought you'd be one to not share."

"You better shut up or I'll knock your teeth out."

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto pleaded, kneeling again.

"Oh, stop!" she reached for her pack and took out a sandwich, throwing it to Naruto's face.

He caught it and flashed a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Sakura-chan! You're an angel."

The blush that crept up her cheeks went unnoticed; thankfully, as he was too busy unraveling the sandwich that to him seemed like a hearty feast. "Look, my passes are for three people, but since you're not too keen to be discovered I suggest you transform back to sensei once you're done eating."

"Let's hope the Librarians won't pay too much attention to the girly way you sit, Naruto."

"SHURUP!"

"Ah you two shut up. And finish that quickly, Naruto. We only have an hour inside."

"That's pretty fast considering we don't actually know what we're going to do in there, Sakura."

"Research! There's tons of things we can pull out from there."

"There's also tons of things _in _there. How do we know where to start?"

Biting off his last chunk of sandwich and quickly swallowing it, Naruto stood up and transformed into Kakashi.

"How about a prophecy?"

* * *

Sakura had chosen a secluded table farthest from the Librarian's table. She sat across Naruto and Sasuke, taking out a small piece of paper and pen. "Ok, let's hear it!"

Being put on the spot made him thankful that Kakashi hid behind a mask. At least he could hide, even a little.

"Well… It's quite simple, actually. Super-Size told-"

"Super-Size?" Sakura inquired with a raised brow.

"Yeah. Super-sized, really old, really huge toad who's an old Sage in Myobokuzan. Really big. Bigger than this Library."

"Yes the overuse of really just sums it up, Naruto." Sasuke responded.

Sakura tried to hide her involuntary shudder at the thought. "Go on."

Naruto fell silent for a moment, collecting himself. "He said that you will stand… Oh by the way when he said you I meant me, you know? Like I'm saying you, but not you you but rather you as in me -"

"Naruto we're not stupid. Only Shikamaru is smarter than Sakura, and I'm certainly not an idiot. Now continue."

"Right," he drew a deep breath. "Ok. He said: You will stand in the middle of the sun and moon," the sound of Sakura's pen on paper filled his ears, echoing in his ears.

"and surround yourself in mountains that will melt into hills,"

"The clouds will fall, you will stand alone. Then…"

He felt Sakura and Sasuke exchange glances in between. He had kept his gaze on the piece of paper that was filling with Sakura's writing.

She paused at his last word, apparently waiting. "Then that's it!" he stretched his arms and placed his hands on the back of his head while leaning back on the chair. "I don't understand a thing."

"Read it again, Sakura," Sasuke said, leaning with his elbows on the table and his hands clutched in front of his face.

"You will stand in the middle of the sun and moon and surround yourself in mountains that will melt into hills. The clouds will fall, you will stand alone. Then…"

"The last word wasn't included, Sakura-chan. You can… never mind, let me." He took the pen from her hand and scribbled on it.

"It doesn't make sense," she replied, trying to meet his eyes.

Naruto shrugged, "Beats me. Like I said, I don't understand it."

"There must be something we can start on, but seeing the timing of this prophecy this must have something to do with your plans with the Bijuu,"

"But that's the thing, Sasuke. I don't even have a plan. I just have… Well, I don't have anything actually, especially after I was given that prophecy."

"Don't worry, Naruto. We'll all try to figure this out. How about you get some rest for tonight? I don't think less than an hour in this place will be enough. I have a day off tomorrow, so I'll try to gather as much information as I can."

"We need to figure out what exactly the prophecy is trying to say, Sakura. We could as well be wasting our time in this place."

"Why don't we break it down a bit?"

"It makes less sense if you read in in parts and not a whole,"

Sakura shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I mean, let's break down what Naruto needs to do. See, first your idea is to release the Bijuu, right?" she turned over the small paper in her hand and began to write. "So to release them you need a jutsu, correct?"

"You also need a jutsu to release Kurama, without killing you," answered Sasuke as another bullet point was written down.

"Or perhaps a very strong healing jutsu? I think I can help you with that,"

"But what happens after that? Just because you've released them doesn't make them insusceptible to capture."

"True. Maybe you need to define what you really mean by releasing them, Naruto. After all, you were tasked with dealing with them."

"And also you need to think about how you're going to tell the Kage about it, and how much time they are really willing to give since everyone has returned to their respective villages."

"I don't think he's going to have a problem with that, Sasuke."

"I'm not entirely sure. We all know the matter of the Bijuu was never taken lightly and will never be."

Naruto could only nod, his own heart welling up in gratitude at the support he was receiving from his closest friends. He could never tell the last part of the prophecy. That was his problem anyway.

"I'm out of paper… I'll try to get some from the Librarian," Sakura made a move to stand, but was stopped by Naruto.

"No, that's alright. The things you've written already had my mind reeling, honestly. I think I'll deal with those first."

"Let's all try to figure it out tomorrow," Sasuke suggested, standing up.

"Alright. I'll be here by nine. Here, take this," Sakura handed Naruto the piece of paper she had written on as the both stood and followed Sasuke to the exit.

"I don't have anything going on, so I'll be here too."

"Same," Naruto's voice dropped to a whisper. "Though I am a bit worried about posing as Kakashi sensei for a whole day."

"We'll worry about that tomorrow, Naruto. Maybe you can pose as someone else, I'm actually not used to the height difference." Sakura smiled.

"Neither am I," added Sasuke as the three of them burst into laughter, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Naruto woke from his slumber breathing heavy and his skin drenched in cold sweat. He had been running in his dreams, in a place he wasn't very familiar with, and he was turning on corners having no clue where they led. The last words of the prophecy replayed over and over the moment he opened his eyes, as if he wasn't conscious enough of it even when he slept.

He went to the bathroom and splashed his face with water, rivulets running down his neck and chest; refreshing his body but not his mind. He took a deep breath and stared at his reflection. He had just turned seventeen; a bit old, one could say, to still be alive considering everything he had been through. Yet now his days were numbered, and even he could not tell how long. He absentmindedly clutched at the small piece of paper inside his pocket, the weight of his responsibility bearing down on him. If only he had a clue what to do first.

His eyes locked on his reflection, suddenly focusing on the whisker marks on both sides of his cheeks – only for a brief moment, because his feet were much quicker than his brain, and he was suddenly moving, out the window and above the roofs, running faster than he had ever done, because his life depended on it.

* * *

thank you again for the reviews/faves/follows!

i want to say thanks for the guest who suggested that i make the chapters longer. honestly i have thought about that a lot and i have to admit that i didn't want to venture too much into other things which explains the short chapters - because prior to this chapter i haven't even got to the heart of the story and i was honestly too worried that i'd drift off somewhere and not have them where i want them (if i'm making any sense sorry it's 2 am here lol)...

anyway, i actually read the manga (i started this fic without updating myself and now that i'm owning up to it i feel crap that i wrote up a rasenshuriken to defeat madara LMAO well am i thankful that i didn't get into too much detail about _that)_ to get a good grasp of the concepts that i will need for the rest of this story so thank you so much for your patience :)


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